agricole

Agricole is a French adjective meaning "agricultural" or "relating to agriculture." It is used to describe farming activities, products, and landscapes, and it often appears in compound terms such as secteur agricole (agricultural sector), produits agricoles (agricultural products), and paysage agricole (agricultural landscape). The word can modify institutions and professions linked to farming, for example école agricole (agricultural school) or industrie agricole (agricultural industry). In everyday language, it helps distinguish non-urban or farming-related contexts from urban ones.

Etymology and usage notes: agricole derives from Latin agricola, meaning "farmer." In French, the adjective is invariable in gender in the singular (agricole for both masculine and feminine) and takes the plural form agricoles for both masculine and feminine. The term is broadly used across disciplines such as agriculture, agronomy, and rural planning, as well as in administrative and institutional names.

Notable uses: Crédit Agricole is a prominent example, a French banking group founded in 1894 to serve farmers that has grown into a major international financial institution. Other common uses include expressions like lycée agricole (agricultural high school), production agricole (agricultural production), and développement agricole (agricultural development). The term also appears in designations for policies, landscapes, and industries linked to farming and rural life.

See also: agriculture, agricultural, agronomy.