procès-verbal

official report, minutes

noun proh-SEH-vehr-BAL Rare

Origin: French procès (legal proceedings) + verbal (verbal, oral) — originally a written record of spoken proceedings

Also means

parking ticket

Usage Note

Procès-verbal (often abbreviated PV) has two main uses: the official written record of a meeting or legal proceeding, and the traffic or police fine notice handed to offenders. The colloquial expression avoir un PV means to get a (parking) ticket. The plural is procès-verbaux.

Examples

"Il a reçu un procès-verbal pour stationnement interdit."

Natural Translation

He received a fine for illegal parking.

Literal Translation

He received an official report for prohibited parking.

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