expé

Expé is an informal abbreviation used in French to refer to an expedition or an experiment, depending on the context. In fieldwork and exploration contexts, expé is short for expédition (for example, une expé polaire or une expé botanique). In laboratory and experimental contexts, expé can stand for expérience or expérimentation, used in casual notes or project labels. The shorthand is common in school and university circles, travel writing, and informal reporting where brevity matters. It is typically written expé with lowercase letters, and can appear as expé in running text or as expé. in abbreviated forms, with capitalization sometimes used for project names or titles.

Etymology and usage notes: the term derives from the French words expédition and expérience/expérimentation. Its meaning is usually inferred from context; without context, expé is ambiguous. In formal writing, the full words expédition or expérience are preferred to avoid confusion. The use of expé can signal a casual or on-the-ground tone, or a shorthand familiar to a particular community.

Examples: "On part en expé en Amazonie" would generally be read as an expedition, while "On a fait une expé au labo" would typically refer to a set of experiments. In journalism and travel literature, expé is used as shorthand for a report on an expedition or fieldwork, though it remains less common in professional prose.

Limitations: Because expé is informal and ambiguous, it is usually avoided in formal writing. See also expédition, expérience, expérimentation.