sottise

foolish act, nonsense

noun soh-TEEZ Rare

Origin: Old French sot (fool)

Usage Note

Sottise refers to a foolish remark or action — dire des sottises (to talk nonsense) or faire des sottises (to do silly things, often said to children). The adjective sot (m) / sotte (f) means foolish or silly. In older French, sottise could be a stronger insult; today it is fairly mild.

Examples

"Arrête de dire des sottises !"

Natural Translation

Stop talking nonsense!

Literal Translation

Stop saying foolish things!

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