Intègre

Intègre is a French word that can refer to two main things: a verb form and an adjective. As a verb form, intègre is the present tense of the verb intégrer, meaning to incorporate, include, or bring into a larger whole. It appears in forms such as j’intègre, tu intègres, il intègre, nous intégrons, vous intégrez, ils intègrent. The sense covers inserting a new element into a system, program, or group.

As an adjective, intègre means morally upright, honest, and possessing integrity. It is used to describe a person or conduct, as in un homme intègre or une personne intègre. The adjective derives from a sense of wholeness and ethical consistency and is related to the noun intégrité.

Etymology and related terms: intègre comes from Latin integer, meaning whole or untouched, and shares its root with other terms such as intégrité (integrity) and intégration (integration). The noun and related forms include l’intégrité, l’intégration. There is also the adjective intégral, meaning whole or complete, and the noun l’intégrale in mathematics, referring to the integral.

Usage notes: The word intègre can function as either a verb form or an adjective, depending on context. The spelling is identical in many forms, but the meaning is distinguished by syntax and sense: a verb form expresses an action (to integrate), while the adjective expresses a quality (being honest). The feminine form of the adjective is also intègre, with the plural being intègres.

See also: intégrité, intégration, intégral, intégrale.