POILU Definition & Meaning

poilu

[pwah-loo, pwa-ly]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural

poilus

a French common soldier.

poilu

/ ˈpwɑːluː, pwaly /

noun

an infantryman in the French Army, esp one in the front lines in World War I

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of poilu¹

1910–15; < French, in earlier slang: tough individual, tough, brave, literally, hairy, haired; Middle French, Old French pelu ( plew ) < Vulgar Latin *�辱��ū�ٳܲ�, equivalent to Latin pil ( us ) hair + Vulgar Latin *-ū�ٳܲ�, for Latin -��ٳܲ� -ate ¹ ( e > oi by influence of poil hair < Latin pilus )

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of poilu¹

C20: from French, literally: hairy (that is, virile), from poil hair, from Latin pilus a hair

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

For their part, the poilus must have heard rumors of an evacuation.

From

The poilu thought it might be a new trick of the Germans.

From

Just as we departed I received an imposing-looking missive written in flowery English, which proved to be a letter from a French poilu.

From

One place, I comes across several scores of poilus—on their permissions similar—squatting on the ground and doing—what do you suppose?

From

Bless you! the poilus did the eating; I only did the seasoning and tasting.

From

poil poimenics

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