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fauve

wild beast, big cat

noun adjective FOHV Rare

Origin: Old French from Latin 'fulvus' (tawny)

Also means

tawny (colour)

Usage Note

Fauve as a noun refers to large wild felines such as lions and tigers — les grands fauves is the standard phrase for big cats in a zoo or circus context. As an adjective it describes a tawny yellow-brown colour. Art history also uses les Fauves for the early 20th-century movement known in English as Fauvism, led by Matisse and Derain.

Examples

"Le fauve rugit dans sa cage."

Natural Translation

The wild beast roared in its cage.

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