arrondissement

noun

ar·​ron·​disse·​ment ə-ˈrän-də-smənt How to pronounce arrondissement (audio) ˌa-ˌrōⁿ-(ˌ)dē-ˈsmäⁿ How to pronounce arrondissement (audio)
1
: an administrative district of some large French cities
2
: the largest division of a French department

Examples of arrondissement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Understand the different arrondissements Paris is split up into 20 arrondissements, or districts, each with their own distinct vibe and attractions. —Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024 Located on Quai Voltaire in the city’s 7th arrondissement, the three-room, 260-square-meter (2,800-square-foot), third-floor apartment sold for nearly double its list price of €5.3 million ($5.7 million). —Jack Guy, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for arrondissement 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arrondissement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "action of making round or rounding off, circumscription of boundaries, extension of a territory, subdivision of a French department," going back to Middle French, "rounding off," from arrondiss-, variant stem of arrondir "to make round, round off" (going back to Old French arondir, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs — going back to Latin ad- ad- — + -rondir, verbal derivative of reund, rond round entry 1) + -ment -ment

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of arrondissement was in 1746

Dictionary Entries Near arrondissement

arrondi

arrondissement

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Cite this Entry

“Arrondissement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrondissement. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arrondissement

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