derrière

Derrière is a noun in French meaning the rear part of the body, especially the buttocks. In English, the term is borrowed as a light, informal way to refer to the buttocks or the posterior and is often used with a humorous or polite tone.

Etymology: The word derrière comes from the French arrière, meaning rear or behind. The standard French spelling is with the accent over the second e. In English-language texts it is sometimes written without the accent as dernire or derrière, but the accent is customary in French.

Usage and nuance: In French, derrière is relatively neutral or polite compared with more colloquial terms such as fesses or cul. In English, derrière is primarily used for humorous, literary, or polite effect and is less common in formal or technical writing. For precise or medical contexts, terms such as buttocks or the gluteal region are preferred.

Related terms and context: In French, other terms for the buttocks include fesses and, in more colloquial speech, cul. In anatomy, the region is described as the gluteal region, comprising the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles. Derrière also appears in cultural and literary contexts as a borrowed, often playful, reference to the posterior.

See also: Arrière, fesses, gluteal region, buttocks.