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lance-flammes

flamethrower

noun lahns-FLAM Rare
People & Society Military

Usage Note

Lance-flammes is invariable — its plural is identical (des lance-flammes), as is typical for compound nouns formed with lance- (a verb stem). It is a compound of lancer (to throw/project) + flammes (flames). The word appears in military, historical, and video-game contexts; it is rarely encountered in everyday conversation.

Examples

"L'infanterie utilisait des lance-flammes pendant la guerre."

Natural Translation

The infantry used flamethrowers during the war.

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