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navette

shuttle

noun nah-VET Rare

Also means

bobbin (sewing)

Usage Note

Navette originally referred to the shuttle in a loom (shaped like a small boat — nef). Today its most common meaning is a shuttle service: navette aéroport (airport shuttle), faire la navette (to commute back and forth). The space shuttle is la navette spatiale. The back-and-forth rhythm of commuting gave rise to the idiom faire la navette for daily commuters.

Examples

"Nous avons pris la navette pour aller à l'aéroport."

Natural Translation

We took the shuttle to the airport.

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