appuyée

Appuyée is the feminine singular past participle of the French verb appuyer. When used as an adjective, it denotes physical position or support: something that is leaning, resting on, or being held up by another object. It can also carry a figurative sense, meaning that a statement, argument, or critique is emphasized, reinforced, or strongly supported.

As a grammatical form, appuyée agrees with the noun it modifies. The masculine form is appuyé, and the plural forms are appuyés (masculine) and appuyées (feminine and plural). It can appear in attributive position before or after the noun, for example: une porte appuyée contre le mur (a door leaning against the wall) or la jeune fille appuyée sur la rambarde (the girl leaning on the railing). It is also used in a predicative or passive-like construction: La porte est appuyée contre le mur.

In usage, appuyée frequently describes a physical arrangement, but it also appears in literary or rhetorical contexts to indicate emphasis or reinforcement, such as une remarque appuyée or un argument appuyé. While primarily a morphological form, its meaning hinges on the noun’s nature and context: literal support for inanimate objects, or figurative emphasis for ideas or sentiments.

Etymologically, appuyée derives from the verb appuyer, which denotes placing or pressing against something. The concept of support or leaning is central to most of its uses, with the feminine form simply reflecting agreement with feminine nouns.