douanier

customs officer

noun doo-ah-NYEH Rare

Usage Note

Douanier comes from la douane (customs), and the feminine form is une douanière. The phrase passer la douane means 'to go through customs'. Henri Rousseau, the self-taught French painter, was nicknamed 'le Douanier Rousseau' because of his day job as a customs inspector.

Examples

"Le douanier a inspecté nos bagages."

Natural Translation

The customs officer inspected our luggage.

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