Lécart

L'écart is a noun meaning a distance, difference, or gap between two objects, times, opinions, or values. It can refer to a physical space between two points, a temporal gap, or a discrepancy between expectations and reality. The term is used in technical, scientific, and everyday language.

Écart derives from the verb écarter, meaning to separate, move apart, or set aside. The noun preserves that sense of separation and distance and is used in both concrete and figurative contexts.

In mathematics and statistics, l'écart is a general term for the difference between quantities. It covers absolute differences and deviations. Common forms include l'écart-type, or standard deviation, which measures dispersion around a mean, and l'écart absolu, the absolute deviation from a reference value or mean. The term is also used for errors in measurements and residuals in data fitting.

In social and economic discourse, l'écart frequently refers to gaps or disparities between groups, such as l'écart salarial (the wage gap) between genders or among skill levels. It can also describe mismatches in timing, distance, or gaps in knowledge or capabilities.

In other fields, l'écart denotes physical clearance between components in engineering and architecture, or a deviation from standard forms in linguistics and education.