homme

Homme is a French noun that primarily denotes an adult male human being. It is used to refer to men individually as well as to humanity in a collective or philosophical sense, especially when paired with definite or indefinite determiners as l’homme, un homme, or des hommes. The feminine form is femme.

Etymology and forms: The word derives from Latin homo, via Old French homme. In modern French, it is masculine: un homme, des hommes, le héros (note the h may be mute or aspirated depending on the word; in homme the h is muet, so l’homme is used with elision: l’homme). The standard plural is hommes. The word appears in numerous compound expressions such as homme d’affaires (businessman), homme politique (politician), homme de lettres (man of letters), and homme au foyer (stay-at-home man).

Usage and nuance: As a general term for a male person, homme is the default counterpart to femme. When referring to humankind or the human species, l’homme is often used in a broad, sometimes historical or philosophical sense, as in discussions of human nature, the story of mankind, or the development of civilizations. In everyday language, contexts and modifiers clarify whether the sense is individual, social, or universal.

Phonology and orthography: The initial h in homme is typically treated as mute, allowing elision in l’homme and regular liaison in des hommes. Spelling is stable, with no gender-neutral form in standard usage, though phrases and neologisms may reframe it in gender-inclusive language.

See also: cognates in other Romance languages include hombre (Spanish) and uomo (Italian), all tracing to the same Latin root Homo.