Cibles

Cibles is the plural of cible in French, meaning an object to which one directs an aim, an objective, or a designated recipient. In everyday French, cibles are the things one aims at or measures against in both physical and figurative senses. In sport and training, targets or cibles serve as scoring zones and reference points, such as bullseyes in archery, shooting, and marksmanship drills. The design and color contrast of cibles aid visibility at various distances and lighting conditions.

In business and communication, the term cibles is used to denote intended audiences or markets. Ciblage denotes the process of selecting those targets, often through segmentation and positioning strategies, and is central to advertising, product development, and public policy.

In science and medicine, cibles describes molecular or biological targets of therapies. A drug's cibles may include receptors, enzymes, or signaling pathways; identifying these cibles is a core task of pharmacology and drug discovery.

In military and strategic contexts, cibles are designated objectives for operations or engagements. The term implies suitability for action and alignment with broader strategic goals, subject to rules of engagement and collateral considerations.

The word's French origin is evident in its gendered noun forms: cible (singular) and cibles (plural). Across languages, "target" serves as its direct equivalent, though "cibles" is predominantly used within French-language texts and technical jargon.