French Word of the Day: Disparition
This French word has two different uses and you may need to trawl for clues to figure out which one is meant.
Why do I need to know disparition?
Because you’ll want to pay attention to context clues to figure out which version of this French word is being used.
What does it mean?
Disparition - roughly pronounced diss-pah-ree-see-ahn - technically translates as ‘disappearance’, but it has a extra usage in France that might confuse English speakers.
In French, disparition is defined as ‘the act of going missing or fading away’. It also means to ‘no longer exist’, and in this sense, it is often used to talk about death in a polite or euphamistic way.
After the death of a famous figure in France, you will often see newspapers headline with the phrase la disparition de followed by the person’s name. It is similar to saying ‘the passing of’ in English when talking about death.
If they were of particular importance, the team at the Elysée (French presidential palace) may send out a press release about a cérémonie d’hommage (a tribute) for the person following their disparition.
Confusingly, you will also see people use disparition to mean ‘disappearance’ in the sense that someone or something is now missing or not able to be located.
Unlike many French words or phrases, there are no grammatical clues to follow here - disparition is used in exactly the same way whether you're talking about a person who has gone missing or a person who has died.
As such, you will need to read further in the French article to get necessary context to figure out if the person has died or if they are missing.
Use it like this
La disparition récente du fils de Charles de Gaulle a donné lieu à de nombreuses commémorations en ligne. - The recent passing of Charles de Gaulle's son has given rise to many commemorations online.
La police a publié des mises à jour sur la disparition de l'adolescente, mais nous n'avons toujours pas beaucoup d'informations. - The police have issued updates on the disappearance of the teenager, but we still don't have much information.
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Why do I need to know disparition?
Because you’ll want to pay attention to context clues to figure out which version of this French word is being used.
What does it mean?
Disparition - roughly pronounced diss-pah-ree-see-ahn - technically translates as ‘disappearance’, but it has a extra usage in France that might confuse English speakers.
In French, disparition is defined as ‘the act of going missing or fading away’. It also means to ‘no longer exist’, and in this sense, it is often used to talk about death in a polite or euphamistic way.
After the death of a famous figure in France, you will often see newspapers headline with the phrase la disparition de followed by the person’s name. It is similar to saying ‘the passing of’ in English when talking about death.
If they were of particular importance, the team at the Elysée (French presidential palace) may send out a press release about a cérémonie d’hommage (a tribute) for the person following their disparition.
Confusingly, you will also see people use disparition to mean ‘disappearance’ in the sense that someone or something is now missing or not able to be located.
Unlike many French words or phrases, there are no grammatical clues to follow here - disparition is used in exactly the same way whether you're talking about a person who has gone missing or a person who has died.
As such, you will need to read further in the French article to get necessary context to figure out if the person has died or if they are missing.
Use it like this
La disparition récente du fils de Charles de Gaulle a donné lieu à de nombreuses commémorations en ligne. - The recent passing of Charles de Gaulle's son has given rise to many commemorations online.
La police a publié des mises à jour sur la disparition de l'adolescente, mais nous n'avons toujours pas beaucoup d'informations. - The police have issued updates on the disappearance of the teenager, but we still don't have much information.
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