embrassés

Embrassés is the masculine plural past participle of the French verb embrasser. It can function as a participial form in compound tenses or as an adjective in certain constructions, agreeing in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The corresponding forms are embrassé (masc sing), embrassée (fem sing), embrassés (masc plur), and embrassées (fem plur).

Etymology and senses: Embrasser derives from Old French embracier, itself related to the word for arm (bras), reflecting the original sense of clasping or encircling with the arms. The basic meanings include to clasp with the arms, to kiss, and, in a figurative sense, to embrace or encompass. In figurative usage, embrasser can also mean to cover or span something, as in a landscape that is “embrassé par la lumière” (bathed in light) or a policy that “embrasse” a wide range of issues.

Usage and grammar: Embrassés is used as an adjective or as a participle in compound tense constructions. When used with être in pronominal forms, the past participle agrees with the subject: ils se sont embrassés (they kissed each other). With non-pronominal uses or with avoir as auxiliary, agreement rules depend on direct-object placement. As a translation, embrassé/embrassés can be rendered in English as “kissed” or “embraced,” depending on context.

See also: embrasser, embrassé, embrassement. The term primarily appears in French-language texts to describe physical affection, figurative embraces, or broader forms of encroachment or coverage.