hocher

to nod

verb oh-SHEH Rare

Usage Note

Hocher almost always appears in the fixed phrase hocher la tête, which means to nod or to shake one's head depending on context — French relies on the surrounding sentence to disambiguate, unlike English. The h is aspirate in hocher, so no liaison: il hoche not il z-hoche. The verb is rarely used outside this phrase.

Examples

"Elle hocha la tête en signe d'accord."

Natural Translation

She nodded her head in agreement.

Literal Translation

She nodded the head as a sign of agreement.

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