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piler

to crush

verb pee-LEH Rare
Food & Drink Cooking

Also means

to brake sharply

Usage Note

Piler has two main everyday senses: to pound/crush ingredients (as with a mortar) and, in informal driving language, to slam on the brakes (piler net). In cooking, piler de l'ail means to crush garlic. The noun pilon (pestle or chicken drumstick) comes from the same root.

Examples

"Elle pile les épices dans un mortier."

Natural Translation

She crushes the spices in a mortar.

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