frisson

fr
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shiver, chill, the chills, thrill, shudder
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/fʁi.sɔ̃/
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A sudden shiver of the body or the feelings, with a literary extension for a light ripple through things.

Examples

  • Un frisson d'effroi a parcouru la foule.
    A shudder of dread passed through the crowd.
  • À l'annonce du verdict, un frisson d'inquiétude a traversé le public.
    At the announcement of the verdict, a shiver of anxiety passed through the audience.
  • Le poème a laissé un frisson de beauté difficile à décrire.
    The poem left a thrill of beauty that was hard to describe.
  • Le malade était secoué de frissons avant la poussée de fièvre.
    The patient was shaken by chills before the fever spike.
  • On voyait passer des frissons argentés sur la mer.
    Silver ripples could be seen passing over the sea.

Similar words

frémissement
tremblotement
grelottement
tremblement
saisissement
tressaillement
effroi
émotion
trouble
ondulation

Meanings

Shiver from cold or fever

noun
physical
neutral
A sudden involuntary trembling of the body, usually caused by cold, fever, illness, or another physical shock.

Examples

  • Le vent de mars lui a donné un frisson dans le dos.
    The March wind gave him a shiver down his back.
  • La fièvre revenait, avec de longs frissons pendant la nuit.
    The fever returned, with long chills during the night.
  • En sortant de l'eau froide, un frisson lui a parcouru les épaules.
    Coming out of the cold water, a shiver ran across her shoulders.
  • Le malade était secoué de frissons avant la poussée de fièvre.
    The patient was shaken by chills before the fever spike.
  • Un frisson bref a suivi l'ouverture de la fenêtre.
    A brief shiver followed the opening of the window.
  • Elle a resserré son manteau pour calmer ses frissons.
    She tightened her coat to calm her shivers.
  • Le diagnostic mentionnait des frissons accompagnés de sueurs.
    The diagnosis mentioned chills accompanied by sweating.

Similar words

Emotional shudder or thrill

noun
emotional
neutral
A sudden tremor of feeling, from fear, horror, admiration, desire, music, art, or another intense emotion.

Examples

  • Un frisson d'effroi a parcouru la foule.
    A shudder of dread passed through the crowd.
  • La voix de la chanteuse lui a donné un frisson.
    The singer's voice gave him a thrill.
  • Le dernier accord a provoqué des frissons dans la salle.
    The final chord sent chills through the hall.
  • À l'annonce du verdict, un frisson d'inquiétude a traversé le public.
    At the announcement of the verdict, a shiver of anxiety passed through the audience.
  • Le poème a laissé un frisson de beauté difficile à décrire.
    The poem left a thrill of beauty that was hard to describe.
  • Une scène du film lui a causé un frisson de peur.
    A scene in the film gave him a shiver of fear.
  • Le discours a fait naître un frisson d'enthousiasme.
    The speech stirred a thrill of enthusiasm.

Similar words

Slight quiver in something

noun
nature
literary
A delicate trembling or ripple in a thing, such as water, leaves, light, fabric, or a surface touched by movement.

Examples

  • Un frisson léger courait sur l'eau du lac.
    A light ripple ran across the lake water.
  • La brise mettait un frisson dans les feuilles.
    The breeze put a quiver in the leaves.
  • On voyait passer des frissons argentés sur la mer.
    Silver ripples could be seen passing over the sea.
  • Au loin, un frisson d'herbe annonçait le vent.
    In the distance, a shiver of grass announced the wind.
  • La surface du rideau eut un frisson presque imperceptible.
    The surface of the curtain gave an almost imperceptible quiver.
  • Le champ de blé ondulait par petits frissons.
    The wheat field moved in little ripples.
  • Un frisson de lumière a traversé les vitraux.
    A shiver of light crossed the stained glass.

Similar words

Etymology

From Old French friçon or frisson, from Late Latin frictio, probably associated with Latin frigere, meaning to be cold.

FAQ

What does frisson mean in French?

frisson means a shiver from cold or fever, an emotional thrill or shudder, or a slight ripple in something.

Is frisson only a pleasant feeling?

No. frisson can be pleasant, but it can also come from fear, fever, cold, worry, or horror.

How is frisson used with music?

With music, frisson means the sudden pleasurable chill or thrill a powerful passage can cause.

Can frisson mean chills from illness?

Yes. frissons often means chills that come with fever or illness.

What is the plural of frisson?

The regular French plural is frissons.

Is frisson masculine or feminine?

frisson is masculine in French, so the singular is un frisson.

How is frisson pronounced?

frisson is pronounced /fʁi.sɔ̃/ in French.

Is frisson the same as tremblement?

Not exactly. tremblement is broader, while frisson is usually brief and tied to cold, feeling, or a fine ripple.

Can things have a frisson?

Yes. Literary French can speak of a frisson on water, leaves, light, fabric, or another surface.

Where does frisson come from?

frisson goes back to Old French and a Late Latin word linked with cold and shivering.

Comments & contributions

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Indigo Donkey
Jul 16
i always thought this was only an English literary word, the fever meaning explains a lot
0
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Chipper Horse
Jul 14
chez moi on dit surtout ça me donne des frissons pour une chanson, c'est pas rare du tout
0
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Frosty Chipmunk
Jul 12
frisson is such a good sound for the thing it names tbh
1
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Contribution
Witty Panda
Jul 7
The word after de can be ugly too: frisson de dégoût, de honte, de rage. Learners make it all poetic and pretty, but French examples get much nastier than that
1
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Zesty Caribou
Jul 3
Sports and adventure copy loves le grand frisson: bungee jump, big match, haunted house, that kind of controlled danger. Not just a random body shiver.
2
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Jolly Dove
Jul 2
Louisiana/Cajun French glossaries have frisson too, as chill or goosebump. The spooky example I saw was with werewolf stories giving people des frissons, so that use isn't only France-French
2
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Fresh Toad
Jun 30
If somebody is actually shaking hard from cold, I would reach for grelotter first. le gamin grelotte sounds stronger and more physical than il a eu un frisson.
3
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Mild Elk
Jun 26
ça me donne la chair de poule and ça me donne des frissons overlap a lot. For me chair de poule points more to the skin reaction, des frissons can be the whole emotion, song, speech, creepy story, whatever
3
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Eager Pangolin
Jun 25
In cinema listings, frisson gets used almost like horror/suspense branding: soirée frisson, ciné-frisson, frissons garantis. It means you came for scares, not that the room is badly heated
4
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Cobalt Walrus
Jun 21
Learner trap I see a lot: j'ai un frisson is one little shiver. j'ai des frissons, or j'en ai des frissons, feels more like goosebumps/chills running over you. both exist, they dont land the same
5
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Mellow Moth
Jun 18
For English speakers: frisson in French is not the fancy borrowed word it is in English. If a doctor asks about fever symptoms, j'ai des frissons is completely normal. In English you would probably just say chills.
9
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Teal Pheasant
Jun 20
yep, in English 'I felt a frisson' sounds like you swallowed a thesaurus lol
1
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