Décrir

Décrir is not a standard infinitive in contemporary French. It is rarely attested in modern dictionaries and is generally considered nonstandard. When encountered, it is usually treated as a historical variant, a misspelling, or a mistaken form of either décrire or décrier.

Décrire means to describe, to give an account of the characteristics or features of something. Décrier means to decry, to denounce, or to speak against something or someone; it carries a stronger sense of condemnation than simple criticism and is used in contexts of public or moral critique.

The form décrire comes from the verb describing with a root related to describing in French, while décrier is a separate verb meaning to decry or denounce. The hypothetical form décrir does not have an established place in standard French, and there is no widely accepted conjugation for it in reference grammars. As a result, it is not taught or used in regular writing, and its appearance in texts is typically considered erroneous or archaic.

Usage guidance: In modern French, avoid using the form décrir. If you need the meaning of “to describe,” use décrire; if you need the sense of “to decry,” use décrier. When encountering décrir in historical or regional sources, treat it as an nonstandard or mistaken form and adjust to the standard verb appropriate to the intended meaning.