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détective

detective

noun deh-tek-TEEV Less Common

Origin: English detective (19th c. borrowing)

Usage Note

Détective is the standard term for a private detective in French; a police detective is more often called an inspecteur or enquêteur. The word is masculine by default but can be used for women without change. It is largely a loanword from English and is spelled and pronounced similarly.

Examples

"Le détective a trouvé des preuves importantes."

Natural Translation

The detective found important evidence.

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