Skip to content

ordure

rubbish, filth

noun or-DOOR Less Common

Also means

scoundrel, bastard (insult)

Usage Note

Ordure is usually used in the plural ordures to mean 'rubbish' or 'garbage': les ordures ménagères is the official term for household waste in French municipal services. As a singular insult (une ordure, espèce d'ordure) it is a strong term of abuse. Bac à ordures or poubelle means 'bin'.

Examples

"Il faut sortir les ordures ce soir."

Natural Translation

The rubbish must be taken out tonight.

Literal Translation

It is necessary to take out the rubbish this evening.

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