arrondissement: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal/Technical
Quick answer
What does “arrondissement” mean?
An administrative district in some French-speaking countries, most notably a subdivision of a French department.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
An administrative district in some French-speaking countries, most notably a subdivision of a French department.
It can refer to a municipal borough or district in other Francophone cities (e.g., Brussels, some Swiss or Canadian cities). Informally, it can denote a neighbourhood or area within a large city, especially Paris.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is identical. The concept is equally foreign to both varieties, appearing primarily in specialist or Francophile contexts.
Connotations
Elicits connotations of French bureaucracy, Parisian life, or European travel.
Frequency
Very low frequency in both. Slightly higher in British media due to geographical/cultural proximity, but not significant.
Grammar
How to Use “arrondissement” in a Sentence
in the [Xth] arrondissement of [City]the arrondissement of [Name]Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might appear in property listings or reports on French markets (e.g., 'commercial property in the 8th arrondissement').
Academic
Used in geography, urban studies, political science, or history texts focusing on France or Francophone regions.
Everyday
Used almost exclusively by travellers, expatriates, or people discussing specific locations in Paris or other French cities.
Technical
Precise term in legal, administrative, or cartographic documents pertaining to France.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “arrondissement”
- Mispronouncing (dropping the nasal vowel). Misspelling (e.g., 'arondisement'). Using it to refer to non-Francophone districts.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A département is a larger French administrative region (like a county or state). An arrondissement is a subdivision within a département. Paris itself is both a city and a département, divided into 20 arrondissements.
Only when it is part of a proper name, e.g., 'the Fifth Arrondissement' or 'Arrondissement of Vieux-Montréal'. When used generically, it is lowercase.
Yes, but less commonly. Similar administrative divisions exist in Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and some African nations, but the word is primarily associated with France in English usage.
They are numbered in a clockwise spiral starting from the centre (1st) and moving outwards, ending with the 20th in the northeast.
An administrative district in some French-speaking countries, most notably a subdivision of a French department.
Arrondissement is usually formal/technical in register.
Arrondissement: in British English it is pronounced /ˌærɒnˈdiːsmɒ̃/, and in American English it is pronounced /əˌrɑːndiːsˈmɑ̃ːn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[To live] on the Left Bank of the [Xth] arrondissement”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a RONDabout in Paris: you need to know which 'arrondissement' it's IN.
Conceptual Metaphor
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS ARE CONTAINERS (for population, services, identity).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'arrondissement' most appropriately used?