Skip to content

manchot

penguin

noun mahn-SHOH Rare

Also means

one-armed person

Usage Note

Manchot primarily means penguin in modern French — the birds being 'one-winged' in a functional sense since their wings are flippers. It also means a person who has lost an arm, or colloquially someone clumsy with their hands. Do not confuse with pingouin (auk / razorbill); in strict zoological French, only manchot refers to penguins of the Southern Hemisphere.

Examples

"Les manchots empereurs vivent en Antarctique."

Natural Translation

Emperor penguins live in Antarctica.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic