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cage

cage

noun KAHZH Less Common

Origin: Latin cavea, from cavus 'hollow'

Also means

stairwell (cage d'escalier)

Usage Note

Cage most commonly means a cage for animals, but cage d'escalier ('stairwell') is an extremely frequent compound in everyday French when describing apartment buildings. Cage thoracique ('rib cage') is the anatomical term. The g is soft, making the word rhyme with 'mirage'.

Examples

"L'oiseau chante dans sa cage."

Natural Translation

The bird sings in its cage.

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