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rance

rancid

adjective RAHNS Rare

Origin: Latin 'rancidus', stale.

Also means

stale

Usage Note

Rance describes fat-based foods — butter, oil, nuts — that have gone off and developed a sharp, unpleasant smell or taste. It is invariable for gender (same form for masculine and feminine), which is unusual for French adjectives. Huile rance (rancid oil) and beurre rance (rancid butter) are the most common collocations.

Examples

"Ce beurre est rance, il faut le jeter."

Natural Translation

This butter is rancid, we should throw it away.

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