île

island

noun EEL Less Common

Usage Note

Île appears in many famous French place names — l'Île-de-France is the region around Paris, and l'Île de la Cité is the historic heart of Paris on the Seine. The circumflex on the î reflects a historical 's' (compare English 'isle').

Examples

"Ils passent leurs vacances sur une île."

Natural Translation

They spend their holidays on an island.

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