casseuse

Casseuse is a French noun that refers to a woman who engages in activities that involve breaking or splitting something. The term derives from the verb casse which means “to break” and the suffix‑ue used to form feminine nouns. While the root word also appears in expressions such as casse‑brique (brick) or casse‑tête (puzzle), casseuse specifically denotes a person who habitually breaks or fractures objects, often for recreational purpose or as a craft.

Historically, casseuse has been used in the context of street performers or art collectives that practice “glass‑bending” or “paper‑splitting” as a form of visual or kinetic art. In these works the artiste intentionally fractures a surface to create patterns or textures, turning the act of destruction into aesthetic expression. The practice is sometimes called “casse et cloque” or “casse‑papier” and is documented in contemporary art exhibitions held in Paris and Lyon.

The word has also appeared in the affectionate or colloquial sense to describe a woman who habitually breaks things in everyday life—such as a child who frequently smashes a glass of water or a mechanic who repeatedly cracks an engine block. In these uses the term leans more into the figurative sense of inconsiderate behaviour that results in damage rather than a deliberate craft.

In modern French, usage prefers the more neutral term “la personne qui casse” unless the cultural context specifically calls for a term that connotes a deliberate or artistic form of breaking. In English the word does not have an exact direct equivalent; it would usually be rendered as “feminine breaker” or “female fracturer” within a descriptive phrase.