denrée

foodstuff, commodity

noun dahn-RAY Rare

Origin: Old French denrée, from denier (penny), referring to a penny's worth of goods

Usage Note

Denrée refers to a basic foodstuff or tradeable commodity, usually in the plural denrées alimentaires (foodstuffs, provisions). The phrase denrée rare is commonly used figuratively for anything in short supply: l'honnêteté est une denrée rare ('honesty is a rare commodity').

Examples

"Les denrées alimentaires ont augmenté de prix."

Natural Translation

Food commodities have gone up in price.

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