Usage Note
Patelin is an informal, slightly affectionate word for a small, often remote village or locality. It can also carry a mildly dismissive tone, implying a backwater place. The adjective patelin (now archaic) once meant smooth-talking or wheedling, famously in the medieval farce 'La Farce de Maître Pathelin'.
Examples
"Il vient d'un petit patelin inconnu."
Natural Translation
He comes from a small unknown village.
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