Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to Frenchify

to Frenchify

1 9.3
To make something look or feel French
  • verb
  • /ˈfrɛnʃɪfaɪ/
: francesar
  • Frenchifying her g's, n's, and r's.

Examples

  • Allow your men to wear... those tiger-striped frenchified fatigues?

    Go Tell the Spartans (1978)

  • These borrowings were "Frenchified" in such a way that they lost much of their Americanisms.

    Academic text (1990)

  • So just, you know, that's French Frenchifying existence and objectivity, right?

  • "I suggest you try marketing a slightly Frenchified version of your product as "Artisanal Country Pâté," but keep the original for those of us who aren't pretentious ignoramuses.

    Blog text (1)

  • She decided to Frenchify her kitchen by adding a vintage bistro table and charming wall art.

  • The fashion designer wanted to Frenchify the collection by incorporating elegant lace and floral patterns.

  • They tried to Frenchify their wedding by serving classic French dishes and playing romantic music.

Surface Forms

Frenchify infinitive
Frenchified past
Frenchified past participle
Frenchifying present participle
Frenchifies third person singular

Morphology

Frenchify = French (transparent) = French + ify

The verb is transparently formed from the adjective 'French' plus the productive suffix '-ify', meaning 'make or become French in character or appearance'.

Etymology

Frenchify is made from French and the ending -ify, which means 'make', just like in simplify 'make simple'. So to Frenchify something is to 'make it French' in look or style, for example by adding baguettes, Paris music, or French-style decoration.