patinoire

ice rink

noun pah-tee-NWAHR Rare

Usage Note

Patinoire is derived from patiner ('to skate') and the suffix -oire denoting a place. It can refer to an indoor or outdoor ice rink. Colloquially the word is also used figuratively for any very slippery surface: la route est une vraie patinoire ('the road is a real ice rink').

Examples

"Les enfants adorent la patinoire en hiver."

Natural Translation

The children love the ice rink in winter.

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