mort-vivant

zombie

noun mor-vee-VAHN Rare

Also means

undead

Usage Note

Mort-vivant literally means 'living dead' and is the standard French term for a zombie in fiction. The plural is morts-vivants. It is a compound of mort (dead) and vivant (living), and in popular culture is closely associated with the zombie genre, though zombie is also used directly in French.

Examples

"Le film montre une armée de morts-vivants."

Natural Translation

The film shows an army of zombies.

Literal Translation

The film shows an army of living-dead.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Noun Gender: Rules to Guess Right 80%

Guess French noun gender right 80% of the time using word endings: -age, -ment, -eau are masculine; -tion, -té, -ette are feminine. A high-yield system.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French False Friends: 25 Faux Amis to Avoid

French false friends look like English words but mean something else: actuellement is not actually, sensible means sensitive. Here are 25 faux amis to avoid.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Café Culture: How to Order Like a Local

In a French café, un café means espresso, one drink rents the table for an hour, and you must ask for the bill. Order coffee like a local with these phrases.

June 4, 2026 7 min read

FrenchNow

How to Say "I Miss You" in French (Without Errors)

"I miss you" in French is Tu me manques, not Je te manque. Learn the subject-flip behind manquer so you never text the opposite of what you mean.

June 4, 2026 6 min read