exclure

Exclure is a French transitive verb meaning to exclude, to shut out, or to rule out. It is used to indicate the removal of a person or thing from a group, place, or possibility. It can describe social exclusion, disqualification from membership, or the elimination of an option, as in exclure qqn de qqch or exclure une possibilité.

Etymology: Exclure derives from Latin excludere, formed from ex- “out” and cludere “to close.” It is related to the English exclude and to Romance-language cognates such as escludere in Italian and excluir in Spanish.

Conjugation and forms: Exclure is a regular -re verb with forms built on the stem exclu-. In the present tense: je exclus, tu exclus, il exclut, nous excluons, vous excluez, ils excluent. The past participle is exclu, used with the auxiliary avoir in compound tenses (j’ai exclu, tu as exclu, il a exclu, etc.). Other tenses follow standard -re verb patterns: imparfait j’excluais, futur j’exclurai, subjonctif que j’exclue, etc. The feminine past participle can be exclue when agreeing with a feminine direct object.

Usage notes: The typical constructions are exclure qqn de qqch (to exclude someone from something) and exclure qqch (to exclude something). Examples: Ils ont exclu Marie du club. Exclusion is the corresponding noun (la exclusion). Exclu(e) can function as an adjective: une option exclue. In addition to social or organizational contexts, exclure can also mean to rule out a possibility or to remove an element from a set or list, including mathematical or analytical contexts.

See also: inclure (include), exclusion, écarter, rejeter.