saleté

dirt, filth

noun sal-TAY Less Common

Also means

dirty trick

Usage Note

Saleté is derived from sale ('dirty') and covers both literal grime and figurative nastiness. Faire une saleté means to do something underhanded or messy. In informal speech it can also refer disparagingly to a worthless object or person, so context matters.

Examples

"Il y a de la saleté sur le sol."

Natural Translation

There is dirt on the floor.

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