bled

remote village, backwater

noun BLED Rare

Origin: From Arabic 'bled' / 'bilad' (country, land), via North African French.

Usage Note

Bled entered French via North African Arabic (bilad = land, country) and is widely used in familiar speech for a small, isolated, or dull place. Un bled perdu (a godforsaken backwater) is a fixed expression. It can also refer affectionately to one's ancestral village, especially in the French North African community.

Examples

"Il vient d'un petit bled au milieu de nulle part."

Natural Translation

He comes from a tiny village in the middle of nowhere.

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