Noir (en. Black)

/nwaʁ/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

adjective

Denoting the color devoid of light.

He is wearing a black coat.

Il porte un manteau noir.

Characterizing something sinister or unfortunate.

It is a dark period in history.

C'est une période noire de l'histoire.

Pertaining to the color black.

Black coffee is served without milk.

Le café noir est servi sans lait.

From Latin 'niger', meaning black.

to see life in black

To be pessimistic or to see things negatively.

voir la vie en noir

black humor

Humor that addresses serious or taboo subjects with lightness.

humour noir

to walk the black thread

To be in a delicate or dangerous situation.

marcher sur le fil noir

blackness

Quality of what is black or dark.

noirceur

blackish

Tending towards black.

noirâtre

black and white

Referring to something in contrast of color, traditionally used in photography.

noir et blanc

A derogatory term for a person of African descent.

He sometimes uses 'black' in a degrading manner.

Il utilise parfois 'noir' de manière dégradante.

Reference to jazz, often associated with a dark atmosphere.

This jazz club has a very dark ambiance.

Ce club de jazz a une ambiance très noire.