quel

Inherited from Middle French quel, from Old French quel, from Latin quālis.

• IPA^(key): /kɛl/

• audio

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• Homophones: quelle, quelles, quels

quel m (feminine quelle, masculine plural quels, feminine plural quelles)

1. which

   Des psychologues ont essayé d’analyser quels traits physiques étaient considérés comme attirants. ― Psychologists have tried to analyse which physical traits are considered attractive

2. what, what a (used to form exclamations)

   Quelle catastrophe ! ― What a catastrophe!

   Quelle surprise ! ― What a surprise!

   Quelle horreur ! ― How awful!

   Quelle horrible personne ! ― What a terrible person!

• (which): (Louisiana, Cajun French) équel

quel m (feminine quelle, masculine plural quels, feminine plural quelles)

1. (interrogative) what

   Quel est son nom? ― What is his name?

• qui
• quoi

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

quel

1. Apocopic form of quello, used before a consonant that is not impure.

• q̃l (abbreviation)

From Old French quel, from Latin quālis, quālem.

quel m (feminine singular quelle, masculine plural quelz, feminine plural quelles)

1. which
   • 1488, Jean Dupré, Lancelot du Lac, page 18:

     Si demanda l'ermite a messire Yvain de quel pays il estoit

     Then the hermit asked Sir Ywain which country he was from

• French: quel

From Latin quālis, quālem.

quel m (oblique and nominative feminine singular quele)

1. which

• Middle French: quel
  • French: quel

Contracted from Vulgar Latin *eccum ille, from Latin eccum + ille.

quel m (feminine quella)

1. that

quel

1. Obsolete spelling of cual