étang

Derived from the Old French verb estanchier, through an earlier form estanc. Unrelated to Latin stāgnum (“pond”), which influenced the change in spelling from ⟨c⟩ to ⟨g⟩.

• IPA^(key): /e.tɑ̃/

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• Homophone: étant

étang m (plural étangs)

1. pond (small lake, often shallow)
2. lagoon (especially on the Mediterranean coast)

   Étang de Thau ― Thau Lagoon

   • 1946, Charles Trenet (lyrics and music), “La Mer”:

     Voyez, près des étangs, / ces grands roseaux mouillés / Voyez, ces oiseaux blancs / et ces maisons rouillées

     See, by the lagoons, / those tall, wet reeds / See, those white birds / and those rusty houses

• “étang”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• agent, gante, ganté, géant, gênât

étang

1. Romanization of ᮆᮒᮀ