Feux

Feux is the plural form of feu in French. The word has several related senses, depending on context: it can mean a fire or flame produced by combustion, and it can also refer to a source of light or a signaling device, including artificial lighting.

In everyday usage, feu often denotes a fire in the sense of heat and fuel, such as a campfire, a house fire, or a wood fire. When talking about lighting or signals, feux is used in compounds like feux d’artifice (fireworks) and feux de Bengale (sparklers). The term is especially common in phrases describing traffic or road signals, such as feux tricolores or feux de circulation, where three lights are activated in sequence to regulate traffic. The plural form reflects the presence of multiple lights or signals.

Etymology traces feu to Latin focus, via Old French, originally referring to a hearth or fireplace. The semantic extension from hearth to fire in general and then to lights and beacons follows the historical centrality of fire as a visible signal.

Grammatical note: feu is masculine; feux is the standard plural. Expressions like éteindre les feux mean to switch off the lights or extinguish a fire, while allumer les feux mean to light them.

Feux appear across literature, law, and everyday speech as a versatile term for flames, illumination, and signaling devices, reflecting the central role of fire and light in human activities.