france

Definition of france in English English dictionary: A country in Western Europe having borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain. Member state of the European Union. Official name: French Republic (République Française). Population: 62 million inhabitants; a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe French writer of sophisticated novels and short stories (1844-1924); A country of western Europe on the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel. It was settled by the Franks after the retreat of the Romans, who had conquered Celtic Gaul in 58-51 800. In the Middle Ages France was split into numerous fiefdoms and kingdoms, most of which were incorporated into the royal domain by the time of Louis XI (reigned 1461-1483). Widespread poverty and discontent led to the French Revolution (1789) and the end of the monarchy. The First Republic (1792-1804) was followed by the First Empire (1804-1815) under Napoleon Bonaparte, a period of constitutional monarchy (1814-1848), and a succession of republics broken by the Second Empire (1852-1870) under Louis Napoleon. Much of France was occupied by Germany in World War II. Paris is the capital and the largest city. Population: 54,334,871. a country in western Europe and a member of the EU. Population: 59,551,000 (2001). Capital: Paris. France is famous especially for its art, good food, and fine wines. French. officially French Republic Country, western Europe. Port de France Agence France Presse Air France Compagnie Internationale Air France Banque de France Berry Jean de France duke de Bibliothèque Nationale de France Diane de France duchess de Montmorency and Angoulême Fort de France France Anatole Marie de France Mendès France Pierre New France Tour de France Vichy France Margaret of France; {i} French Republic, country in western Europe; Country in Western Europe having borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain. Member state of the European Union. Official name: French Republic (République Française). Population: 62 million inhabitants; Andre Yatchinovsky Ministry of Environment 20 Avenue de Segur 75302 Paris 07 SP France Tel: +33 1 42 19 17 76 Fax: +33 1 42 19 17 72; a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe; Joan of Arc; Paradise on Earth for the cyclist I have several pages on Cycling in France; French writer of sophisticated novels and short stories (1844-1924); n Perancis; BTS Brevet de technicien supérieur (upper technical non-university degree); France ist the mortal enemy of Adolf It must be destroyed at all costs, und made fun of at even more cost "Cause I'm kinda like und frenchman, always stroking mein French Stick " - Hattenschweiler Krauftenberg; BTS Brevet de technicien supÃ©rieur (upper technical non-university degree); roquefort; the gallic cock; brie
France Square: plaza in Jerusalem (Israel)
France Telecom: leading French telecommunications company (supplier of Internet and telephone services)
New France: France's former possessions and colonies in North America, including Quebec, Acadia, and Louisiana, before 1763
Tour de France: A long cycle race through France and other European countries
franc: former unit of currency of France, Belgium and Luxembourg, replaced in 1999 by the euro
franc: Any of several units of currency, some of which are multi-national (West African CFA Franc (XOF), Central African CFA Franc (XAF), the Swiss Franc (CHF)) while others are national currencies
metropolitan France: The part of France located in Europe
Île-de-France: A région of France, including Paris
Agence France-Presse: French cooperative news agency. Based in Paris, it has roots in the Bureau Havas, created in 1832, which in 1835 became the Agence Havas, the world's first true news agency. The Agence Havas was active until the German occupation of France in 1940, when many of its personnel went underground. After the liberation of Paris in 1944, underground journalists emerged to form AFP. The French government assigned the assets of Agence Havas to AFP, which quickly became one of the world's leading wire news services. AFP operates bureaus in Africa, Asia-Pacific countries, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, and Europe
Air France: in full Compagnie Internationale Air France French passenger and cargo airline with more than 200 destinations in some 80 countries. It introduced supersonic Concorde service in 1976, but financial loss led the company to cease its Concorde operations in 2003. The French government began privatizing the former national airline in July 2002. In 2004 Air France acquired the Dutch airline KLM to create Air France-KLM, one of the largest air carriers in the world. The two airlines, however, continued to operate as separate companies, retaining their own hubs, flights, and logos
Anatole France: orig. Jacques-Anatole-François Thibault born April 16, 1844, Paris, France died Oct. 12, 1924, Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire French novelist and critic. France's characteristically ironic and urbane skepticism appeared in his early novels, including Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard (1881) and At the Sign of the Reine Pédauque (1893). Later he introduced both bitter satire and humanitarian concerns into many works, such as the tetralogy L'Histoire Contemporaine (1897-1901), whose final volume, Monsieur Bergeret in Paris (1901), reflects his support for Alfred Dreyfus. The comedy Crainquebille (1903) proclaims the hostility toward the bourgeois order that led him to embrace socialism, and he was ultimately drawn to communism. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921
Banque de France: National bank of France, created in 1800 to restore confidence in the French banking system after the financial upheavals of the revolutionary period. Napoleon was one of its founding shareholders. The bank has primary responsibility for formulating and implementing credit and monetary policies in France and for the orderly functioning of the banking system. It also has the exclusive privilege of issuing currency. See also central bank
Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Most important library in France and one of the oldest in the world. The nation's first royal library, the Bibliothèque du Roi ("King's Library"), was established under Charles V (r. 1364-80) but later dispersed; another was established under Louis XI (r. 1461-83). From 1537 the library received a copy of every French publication. It was moved from Fontainebleau to Paris in the late 16th century and opened to the public in 1692. It acquired its current name in 1795, and its collection was expanded through Revolutionary appropriations and Napoleon's acquisitions. In 1995 it moved to a new facility with a controversial design; this facility now houses all its books (more than 12 million), periodicals, and magazines
Fort-de-France: City (pop., 1999: 94,049), capital of Martinique, West Indies. Located on the island's western coast, it was formerly called Fort-Royal and has been Martinique's capital since 1680. Until 1918, when its commercial growth began, it had an inadequate water supply, was partly surrounded by swamps, and was notorious for yellow fever; the swamps have since been drained. It is the French West Indies' largest town, chief port, and busiest commercial centre and has long sheltered the French fleet in the West Indies. Sugarcane, cacao, and rum are exported
Franc: {i} family name; former unit of currency in France
Jean de France duke de Berry: orig. Charles-Ferdinand de Bourbon born Jan. 24, 1778, Versailles, France died Feb. 14, 1820, Paris French nobleman. Son of the future Charles X, he left France at the outbreak of the French Revolution and lived abroad until 1815. His assassination by a Bonapartist fanatic marked a turning point in the Bourbon Restoration, hastening the downfall of the moderate Decazes government and the polarization into liberal and royalist groups. born Nov. 30, 1340, Vincennes, France died June 15, 1416, Paris French nobleman and patron of the arts. He was the son of King John II. As duke de Berry and Auvergne, he controlled at least one-third of France during the middle period of the Hundred Years' War. Berry shared in the administration of France and worked for peace with England and within France, acting as diplomat and mediator. He invested fortunes in the art treasures that became his monument paintings, tapestries, jewelry, and illuminated manuscripts that included the famous Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry
Marie de France: flourished 12th century French poet, the earliest known woman poet of France. She wrote verse narratives on romantic and magical themes and may have inspired the musical lais of the later troubadours. She probably wrote in England and may have based her fables on an English source; her verses were dedicated to a "noble" king, either Henry II of England or his son. She also wrote a collection of fables, the Ysopet
Napoleon III of France: {i} Louis Napoleon Bonaparte III (1808-1873), first French president and third emperor (1848-1870), nephew of Napoleon I
New France: The possessions of France in North America from the 16th century until the Treaty of Paris (1763), which awarded French holdings to Great Britain and Spain. At its greatest extent it included much of southeast Canada, the Great Lakes region, and the Mississippi Valley. British and French rivalry for control of the territory led to the four conflicts known as the French and Indian Wars (1689-1763). Possessions of France in North America from 1534 to the Treaty of Paris in 1763. After the first land claim for France by Jacques Cartier (1534), the company of New France was established in 1627. With the explorations by Samuel de Champlain, Jacques Marquette, La Salle, Louis Jolliet, and others, the boundaries of New France expanded beyond the lower St. Lawrence River to include the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley. From 1689 rivalry between England and France affected their possessions in North America. The French and Indian War (1754-63) resulted in the cession of Canada and the territory east of the Mississippi River to England and the territory west of the Mississippi to Spain, with France keeping only the islands of St.-Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland
Pierre Mendès-France: born Jan. 11, 1907, Paris, France died Oct. 18, 1982, Paris French politician and premier (1954-55). Born into a Jewish family, he became a lawyer and served in the Chamber of Deputies (1932-40). In World War II he was imprisoned by the Vichy government but escaped to London, where he joined the Free French air force and served in finance posts in Charles de Gaulle's provisional government. As a legislator in postwar France (1946-58), he criticized government policies on economics and the wars in Indochina and North Africa. In 1954 he became premier; he ended France's involvement in Indochina and also helped effect autonomy for Tunisia. His proposed economic reforms led to his defeat in 1955. He sought without success to make the Radical-Socialist Party the centre of the noncommunist left and opposed de Gaulle's presidency
Port of France: capital of Haiti
South of France: the part of France along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, from Marseilles to the French border with Monaco. It is also called the 'Riviera' and it includes the Côte d'Azur. This area is a popular place for people to go on holiday. In the past only very rich people went there, and many fashionable, rich, and famous people still go to places such as Cannes, Nice, and St Tropez
Tour de France: a famous bicycle race that takes place in France each year. The race goes all over France and continues for about three weeks. On each day the rider who is leading the race wears a special yellow shirt. World's most prestigious and difficult bicycle race. Staged for three weeks each July usually in some 20 daylong stages the Tour typically comprises 20 professional teams of nine riders each and covers some 3,600 km (2,235 miles) of flat and mountainous country, mainly in France, with occasional and brief visits to Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Each stage of the race is timed, and the rider with the lowest aggregate time for all stages is the winner. Established in 1903 by Henri Desgrange (b. 1865 d. 1940), a French cyclist and journalist, the race has been run every year except during the world wars
Vichy France: officially French State French État Français (July 1940-September 1944) French regime in World War II after the German defeat of France. The Franco-German armistice (June 1940) divided France into two zones: one under German military occupation and one under nominal French control (the southeastern two-fifths of the country). The National Assembly, summoned at Vichy to ratify the armistice, was persuaded by Pierre Laval to grant Philippe Pétain authority to assume full powers in the French State. The antirepublican Vichy government collaborated with the Germans and became increasingly a tool of German policy, especially after the Germans occupied the whole of France in 1942. By early 1944 the Resistance movement against the Gestapo and Vichy militias created a period of civil war in France, and after the liberation of Paris the Vichy regime was abolished
duchess de Montmorency and Angoulême Diane de France: born 1538, Paris, France died Jan. 11, 1619, Paris Natural daughter (legitimated 1547) of King Henry II of France. In 1559 she was married to François de Montmorency (1530-79). She was known for her culture, intelligence, and beauty as well as for the influence she wielded during the reigns of Henry III and Henry IV
franc: It has been adopted by Belgium and Swizerland
franc: The franc was the unit of currency that was used in France and Belgium, before it was replaced by the euro. It is also the unit of currency in some other countries where French is spoken. The price of grapes had shot up to 32 francs a kilo. The franc was used to refer to the currency systems of France and Belgium, before it was replaced by the euro. It is also used to refer to the currency systems of some other countries where French is spoken. The Swiss franc has remained surprisingly strong. See table at currency. the standard unit of money in various countries, and used in France and Belgium before the euro
franc: current unit of currency of Switzerland
franc: former unit of currency of France and Belgium, replaced in 1999 by the euro
franc: It is equivalent to about nineteen cents, or ten pence, and is divided into 100 centimes
franc: {i} unit of currency in France; unit of currency in several European countries (including Belgium and Switzerland)
franc: the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
franc: A silver coin of France, and since 1795 the unit of the French monetary system
ile-de-france: a region of north central France including Paris and the area around it
king of france: the sovereign ruler of France
tour de France: {i} annual bicycle race that is held in France
tour de france: a French bicycle race for professional cyclists that last three weeks and covers about 3,000 miles

france

Hyphenation

France

Turkish pronunciation

fräns

Pronunciation

/ˈfrans/ /ˈfræns/

Etymology

[ 'fran(t)s, frän ] (biographical name.) From French France, Old French France, Latin Francia, from Francī, the name of a Germanic tribe. Etymology of Francī itself is uncertain, but of Proto-Germanic origin, possibly related to Sanskrit firang (“foreign”).A. C. Murray, From Roman to Merovingian Gaul: A Reader. Broadview Press Ltd, 2000. p. 1. Compare Frank.