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Definition 2024


écarteler

écarteler

French

Verb

écarteler

  1. to pull a body apart by the four limbs
  2. (heraldry) to divide a shield into four parts

Conjugation

This verb is conjugated mostly like the regular -er verbs (parler and chanter and so on), but the -e- /ə/ of the second-to-last syllable becomes -è- /ɛ/ when the next vowel is a silent or schwa -e-. For example, in the third-person singular present indicative, we have il écartèle rather than *il écartele. Other verbs conjugated this way include lever and mener. Related but distinct conjugations include those of appeler and préférer.

See also

  • équarrir (quarter in hang, draw, and quarter)