Houle (en. Swell)

/ul/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

noun

Oscillatory movement of the waters, usually at sea.

The swell was strong, making navigation difficult.

La houle était forte, rendant la navigation difficile.

Long and regular waves.

Surfers were waiting for the perfect swell to catch waves.

Les surfeurs attendaient la houle parfaite pour attraper des vagues.

State of the sea when waves are propagating.

This swell comes from a distant storm.

Cette houle provient d'une tempête lointaine.

From Old French 'houle', derived from Latin 'undula' meaning wave.

swell

Waves generated far from the coast by storms.

houle de fond

at the mercy of the swell

To be subjected to the movements of the sea.

à la merci de la houle

wave

Movement of water, a rise in the surface of the sea.

vague

tide

Variation in sea level, caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun.

marée

undulation

Light and regular movement, similar to that of the swell.

ondulation

Energy swell

This energy swell inspires me to take risks.

Cette houle d'énergie m'inspire à prendre des risques.

To be in the swell

He is in the swell with all the recent events.

Il est dans la houle avec tous les événements récents.