galère

Borrowed from French galère, from Latin galea (“galley”). Originally referred to a type of ship, then metaphorically to difficult situations or unpleasant groups of people.

galère (plural galères)

1. (rare, chiefly literary) An undesirable, difficult, or burdensome situation.
2. (by extension) A group of people regarded as troublesome or unwelcome.

From Catalan galera, from Medieval Latin galēra, alternative form of galea, from Byzantine Greek γάλεα (gálea). Compare galée, from Old French, directly from Latin galea.

• IPA^(key): /ɡa.lɛʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

galère f (plural galères)

1. (nautical) galley (kind of ship)

   Synonym: galée

2. (in the plural) torturous forced labor (long done at the oars of state galleys)

   Synonym: bagne

   envoyer aux galères ― send [them] to forced labor

3. (by extension, informal) a terrible task, drudge, ordeal, problem

   c'est une galère ― it's a hassle

4. a type of oven
5. (historical) mason's cart, for loading building materials
6. a group of people having a common interest, especially a coterie of undesirable people
7. an unpleasant situation

• galérien m
• vogue la galère

• galéasse

galère (plural galères)

1. (colloquial) difficult; hellish

galère

1. inflection of galérer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

• “galère”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• égaler, gèlera, régale, régalé, regela