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haleine

breath

noun ah-LEN Rare

Usage Note

Haleine specifically refers to the air exhaled and its smell (avoir mauvaise haleine — to have bad breath). The idiom de longue haleine (long-winded, long-term) describes a project requiring sustained effort. Distinguish from souffle (breath as a physical act of breathing or a gust of wind).

Examples

"Il a une mauvaise haleine ce matin."

Natural Translation

He has bad breath this morning.

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