larrière

Larrière is a French term meaning the rear or back part of something. In standard use, the common form is l’arrière, with the definite article contracted before a vowel. It denotes the posterior portion of objects, bodies, or spaces, and appears in both literal and figurative senses. For example, l’arrière de la voiture refers to its rear end, and l’arrière-plan describes the background of a scene or image.

As a standalone noun, l’arrière is often used in phrases such as l’arrière-train to indicate hindquarters in animals, or l’arrière-garde in military contexts, referring to a force that protects the rear of a marching army. The term also forms various compound expressions: l’arrière-pays for the hinterland, and l’arrière-plan for background elements in visual or informational contexts. In everyday language, the more general synonym for the back side is derrière, though arriè re remains common in fixed expressions and precise terminology.

Orthography and usage notes: the concatenated form larrière is not standard in contemporary French and is typically found only in proper names, historical texts, or typographical variants. When used in modern prose, the correct form is l’arrière, with the apostrophe indicating elision before a vowel.

Etymology: arriè re derives from the French adjective arrière, meaning behind or at the back, itself rooted in the historical development of the term to designate the rear portion of something. The word has productive use in many fixed expressions that describe location or sequence in space and time.

See also: derrière (synonym for back), arrière-plan, arrière-garde, arrière-pays, arrière-train.