Joueurs

Joueurs is the plural masculine noun in French for "players." It designates individuals who participate in games, sports, or other activities that involve playing, including both amateurs and professionals. In French-language sports reporting, rosters are described as listing the joueurs of a team, for example les joueurs du club. In gaming contexts, the term appears on interfaces and in rules, such as un jeu à deux joueurs (a two-player game), le nombre de joueurs, joueurs en ligne, and joueurs humains versus joueurs contrôlés par l’ordinateur.

Etymology: The noun joueur comes from Old French joer, related to jouer in modern French, both ultimately deriving from Latin iocare meaning to jest or to play. The form joueurs is the plural of the masculine noun, with joueuse as the feminine counterpart.

Usage and nuance: The word is widely used across domains where participants engage in play. In sports, it refers to the members of a team or squad. In board games and video games, it identifies participants or counts of participants. In statistical or analytical writing, expressions like performances des joueurs or carrière des joueurs are common. For inclusivity, French often pairs the masculine form with the feminine or uses combined forms such as joueurs et joueuses to acknowledge mixed-gender groups.

See also: The related terms joueur and joueuse, and the concept of player in different contexts (sports, gaming, music). In French-language media, the term is a ubiquitous label for those who actively participate in play.