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pelle

shovel, spade

noun PEL Rare

Origin: Old French pelle, from Latin pala 'spade'

Also means

dustpan

Usage Note

Pelle covers garden shovels, coal shovels, and household dustpans (pelle à poussière). The related pelleteuse refers to a mechanical digger or excavator. Ramasser à la pelle idiomatically means 'to have loads of something'.

Examples

"Il creuse le jardin avec une pelle."

Natural Translation

He is digging the garden with a shovel.

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