sabotage

noun sah-boh-TAHZH Rare

Usage Note

Sabotage is the origin of the English borrowing — the French word comes from sabot ('wooden clog'), with the idea that workers threw clogs into machinery to stop production. The related verb saboter means 'to sabotage' but also colloquially 'to botch' or 'to make a mess of' something. Saboteur/saboteuse is the agent noun.

Examples

"L'enquête a révélé un acte de sabotage."

Natural Translation

The investigation revealed an act of sabotage.

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