encadrés

Encadrés is a French term that can function as a noun or an adjective, and it derives from the verb encadrer, meaning to put in a frame or to supervise. The word has several related senses in contemporary usage.

In journalism and publishing, an encadré is a boxed or bordered text element on a page. It is used to highlight a sidebar, a caption, a key fact, or a quotation separate from the main column. The plural encadrés refers to multiple such boxed blocks within a publication.

In organizational or sociological contexts, encadrés refers to people who are under supervision, i.e., subordinates within an organization. This usage distinguishes those who are supervised from cadres (the managers or executives). In studies of the workplace, the encadrés are described as those who receive direction and oversight from higher-level staff.

As an adjective, encadré describes something that is framed or bordered, such as a framed picture (un tableau encadré) or a document presented within a defined boundary (un dispositif encadré). It can also convey a sense of regulation or containment when applied to programs or environments (une zone encadrée, une activité encadrée).

Etymology traces the term to en- (inside, within) and cadrer (to frame or to supervise). The different senses—framing in design, supervision in management, and enclosing in borders—reflect the core idea of enclosing or guiding within defined limits.