stupéfait
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin stupefactus with the latter part gallicised after fait.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sty.pe.fɛ/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -ɛ
- Homophone: stupéfaits
Adjective
stupéfait (feminine stupéfaite, masculine plural stupéfaits, feminine plural stupéfaites)
- astounded, astonished, dumbfounded
- J’étais stupéfait. ― I was astounded.
Participle
stupéfait (feminine stupéfaite, masculine plural stupéfaits, feminine plural stupéfaites)
- (proscribed) past participle of stupéfier ~ stupéfaire
- Cela m’a stupéfait. ― That astounded me.
Usage notes
- The standard form is stupéfié. The use of stupéfait as a participle is proscribed, but is not as rare and nonstandard as other forms of the verb stupéfaire, itself a backformation from this participle.
Further reading
- “stupéfait”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.