Meaning & use
poilu
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Meaning
nouncountablemilitary
An ordinary French infantry soldier of the First World War, especially one serving in the muddy trenches.
Grammar: Countable: one poilu, many poilus.
Patterns
- a French poilu
- poilus in the trenches
The museum shows letters written home by a poilu at Verdun.
A weary poilu stands in the famous photograph, wearing a heavy greatcoat.
Many poilus endured months of mud and shelling along the Western Front.
Word forms
| plural | poilus |
|---|
Common combinations
- a French poilu
- A French poilu sits smoking beside a ruined wall.
- poilu uniform
- The exhibit includes a faded poilu uniform in blue-grey cloth.
- poilu at Verdun
- Each poilu at Verdun faced terrible conditions.
- statue of a poilu
- A statue of a poilu stands in the village square.
Synonyms and how they differ
- infantryman
- Infantryman is a general term for a foot soldier of any army, whereas poilu refers only to the French soldier of that war.
- doughboy
- Doughboy names the American soldier of the same war, so it is the nearest counterpart but belongs to a different army.
- tommy
- Tommy, short for Tommy Atkins, is the equivalent nickname for the British soldier and carries a similar affectionate tone.
Word family
- poilus noun
- plural form, meaning French soldiers of the war
Commonly confused: poilu or poilu (French poil)?
poilu vs poilu (French poil)
The word comes from French poil, meaning hair; it originally meant hairy, which is how the soldiers were affectionately nicknamed.
Practice
Who was a poilu?
Choose one answer.
Poilu is the nickname for the French infantry soldier of the First World War. The British equivalent is tommy, which is why the first option is tempting but wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “poilu”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.