Lès

Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse station
Flines-lès-Mortagne, near Mortagne-du-Nord

The word lès (French pronunciation: [lɛ] , and [lɛz‿] with liaison) is an archaic French preposition meaning "near", "next to".[1][2] Today it occurs only in place names to distinguish places with the same name.

The word lès has two variants: lez and les.[1] The latter should not be confused with the plural definite article les (e.g. les-Bains, "the Baths").

Etymology

[edit]

The word lès and its variants derive from late Latin latus, "side".[1][2] The preposition is not used anymore in French, but remains still nowadays in other Langues d'oïl such as the Walloon language with dilé (close to) and adlé (among).

Examples

[edit]

Lès

[edit]

Lez

[edit]

Les

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "LÈS : Définition de LÈS". www.cnrtl.fr. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  2. ^ a b Larousse, Éditions. "Définitions : lès - Dictionnaire de français Larousse". www.larousse.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-04-04.