d_547_ept_424_o

[livid nacelle]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[tranquil cairn]

that's right

although "renard" is commonly used for the entire species

[proud remnant]

@tranquil cairn Thanks for the reply. 🙏

What about these two: "le loup" (male wolf), "la louve" (female wolf)

🙏🙏🙏

[proud remnant]

And mouse (le souris) hasn't got a feminine form, right? 🧐

I wonder what to do when I have to refer to a female mouse then?

[tranquil cairn]

souris refers to both male and female mice

also it's always feminine, la souris

[proud remnant]

My bad, I should have written "la souris" instead. Thanks for pointing it out. 🙏

[proud remnant]

Any comments on this? 👋

[tranquil cairn]

same
loup: any animal of the species, or male specifically
louve: female specifically

the same happens for most animals

some species with important sexual dimorphism can require different names, just like in english (cow vs bull for instance)

[proud remnant]

Understood. "le loupe" for male wolf, "la louve" for female wolf. 👋

[proud remnant]

@tranquil cairn I am very confused right now... Why does it always have to be so complicated? Haven't we got a straight feminine form of wolf (le loup)?

I don't know what to do at this point. Should I pass wolf? Thanks.

[wind garden]

wtf

louve is only a female wolf

idk why they mention dog and fox

[tranquil cairn]

That's the definition for bitch, not louve

[wind garden]

oh

confused

[proud remnant]

Oddly enough, the definition of the word "la louve" in Collins French dictionary does not align with the definition provided by Cambridge's dictionary.

Moving forward, I would like to clarify that the definition "bitch" isn't accurate for the word "la louve". Could you please approve this as you both are natives? Thanks once again.

It would be more than enough if one of you could confirm it for the last time. I would not want to take up any more of your time. Merci .

[tranquil cairn]

"louve" is just a female wolf. That's it.

[icy briar]

"louve" is a female wolf. The translations vary as we have no consistent word for a female wolf that is in common usage. We simply say "wolf" or "female wolf" if needed, even though technically "bitch" or "she-wolf" could be used in certain specific contexts (I would imagine "bitch" for people who study wolves and their mating habits, for example, and I see "she-wolf" more in books and fantasy contexts)

[proud remnant]

@tranquil cairn @icy briar Understood. God bless. 👋

[proud remnant]

How odd... French tends to associate female animals with that word. I'll be skipping this one too.

Just stumbled upon to this one when writing down fox/vixen.

[icy briar]

French has nothing to do with it, that's English

We use it for female canines