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étendue

expanse

noun eh-tahn-DÜ Rare
Animals & Nature Geography

Origin: French étendre (to spread out)

Also means

extent

Usage Note

Étendue refers to a wide stretch of land, water, or sky, or more abstractly to the scope or range of something (l'étendue de ses connaissances — the breadth of his knowledge). The adjective étendu means spread out or extensive. In philosophy, l'étendue (Descartes) was used to denote spatial extension as an attribute of matter.

Examples

"Une vaste étendue de sable s'étire devant nous."

Natural Translation

A vast expanse of sand stretches before us.

Literal Translation

A vast expanse of sand stretches itself before us.

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