pâlir

to turn pale

verb pah-LEER Rare

Origin: Latin pallere 'to be pale'

Also means

to fade

Usage Note

Pâlir means both to become pale (of a person's complexion from fear, illness, or shock) and to fade in colour (of a fabric or painting). The idiomatic phrase faire pâlir d'envie means 'to make someone green with envy' — literally 'to make pale with envy'. The related adjective is pâle and the noun is la pâleur ('pallor').

Examples

"Elle a pâli en apprenant la nouvelle."

Natural Translation

She turned pale when she heard the news.

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