France
- 1A country mainly in western Europe, officially the French Republic, with Paris as its capital; sometimes used for its European part alone, as distinct from its overseas territories.
France shares land borders with Spain, Italy, Germany, and Belgium, among other countries.
After college, she spent a year teaching English in France.
Note
The name carries a people inside it. It came through Middle English and Old French from Latin Francia, the land of the Franci, a Germanic tribe whose name is of uncertain origin, perhaps linked to a Germanic word for "javelin." It is a proper name, yet it takes a plural when writers set rival versions of the country side by side. Shanny Peer's "the two Frances" (1998) contrasts diverse France with modern centralized France.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
- English France came through Middle English and Old French from Latin Francia. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin Francia means the land of the Franks. en.wikipedia.org
- Franci names a Germanic tribe, and its further origin is uncertain. fr.wiktionary.org
- The tribal name may derive from a Germanic word meaning javelin. en.wiktionary.org
- Shanny Peer uses the wording the two Frances to contrast diverse France with modern centralized France. en.wiktionary.org
Less common meaning
- 2The French writer Anatole France, known for his novels, poetry, and journalism.
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Origin
The name reached English from Old French France in the Middle English period, replacing the native Old English Francland, and it goes back to Latin Francia, named after the Francī, a Germanic tribe. Where their name came from is unclear beyond its being Proto-Germanic, but most likely it is Frankish *Frankō ("a Frank"), a word built on Proto-Germanic *frankô ("javelin"), whose further origin is unknown.