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Definition 2024
pincer
pincer
See also: pincér
English
Noun
pincer (plural pincers)
- any object that resembles one half of a pair of pincers
Derived terms
Anagrams
French
Etymology
From Old French pincer, pincier (“to pinch, find fault”), from Vulgar Latin *pincāre, a nasalised variant of Vulgar Latin *piccāre (“to pick, pierce”), from Frankish *pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikōną *pukaną (“to pick, peck, prick, knock”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to make a dull sound”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pɛ̃.se/
Verb
pincer
Conjugation
This verb is part of a group of -er verbs for which ‘c’ is softened to a ‘ç’ before the vowels ‘a’ and ‘o’.
Conjugation of pincer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | pincer | avoir pincé | |||||
| gerund | en pinçant | en ayant pincé | |||||
| present participle | pinçant /pɛ̃.sɑ̃/ |
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| past participle | pincé /pɛ̃.se/ |
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| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il | nous | vous | ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | pince /pɛ̃s/ |
pinces /pɛ̃s/ |
pince /pɛ̃s/ |
pinçons /pɛ̃.sɔ̃/ |
pincez /pɛ̃.se/ |
pincent /pɛ̃s/ |
| imperfect | pinçais /pɛ̃.sɛ/ |
pinçais /pɛ̃.sɛ/ |
pinçait /pɛ̃.sɛ/ |
pincions /pɛ̃.sjɔ̃/ |
pinciez /pɛ̃.sje/ |
pinçaient /pɛ̃.sɛ/ |
|
| past historic1 | pinçai /pɛ̃.se/ |
pinças /pɛ̃.sa/ |
pinça /pɛ̃.sa/ |
pinçâmes /pɛ̃.sam/ |
pinçâtes /pɛ̃.sat/ |
pincèrent /pɛ̃.sɛʁ/ |
|
| future | pincerai /pɛ̃.sʁe/ |
pinceras /pɛ̃.sʁa/ |
pincera /pɛ̃.sʁa/ |
pincerons /pɛ̃.sʁɔ̃/ |
pincerez /pɛ̃.sʁe/ |
pinceront /pɛ̃.sʁɔ̃/ |
|
| conditional | pincerais /pɛ̃.sʁɛ/ |
pincerais /pɛ̃.sʁɛ/ |
pincerait /pɛ̃.sʁɛ/ |
pincerions /pɛ̃.sə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
pinceriez /pɛ̃.sə.ʁje/ |
pinceraient /pɛ̃.sʁɛ/ |
|
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior1 | Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il | que nous | que vous | qu’ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | pince /pɛ̃s/ |
pinces /pɛ̃s/ |
pince /pɛ̃s/ |
pincions /pɛ̃.sjɔ̃/ |
pinciez /pɛ̃.sje/ |
pincent /pɛ̃s/ |
| imperfect1 |
pinçasse /pɛ̃.sas/ |
pinçasses /pɛ̃.sas/ |
pinçât /pɛ̃.sa/ |
pinçassions /pɛ̃.sa.sjɔ̃/ |
pinçassiez /pɛ̃.sa.sje/ |
pinçassent /pɛ̃.sas/ |
|
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect1 | Use the imperfect subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nous | vous | – | |
| — | pince /pɛ̃s/ |
— | pinçons /pɛ̃.sɔ̃/ |
pincez /pɛ̃.se/ |
— | ||
| 1literary tenses | |||||||