lhomme

L'homme is a masculine singular noun in French meaning “man” or “the man.” It refers to an adult male person and can also be used generically to denote humanity in philosophical or literary contexts. The plural form is les hommes, and the feminine counterpart is la femme (plural: les femmes). The definite article l’ is used with homme because the initial h is mute (h muet), which allows elision: l’homme.

Etymology and form: homme comes from Latin homo, hominis, meaning man or human being. It entered Old French as ome and evolved into the modern form homme in Middle French. The word shares the same Indo-European root as related terms in several Romance languages.

Usage and nuance: In everyday language, l’homme appears when referring to an individual man or to men in general. It also occurs in philosophical or literary discourse to discuss human nature or the human condition, sometimes in contrast with feminine terms or with l’humanité for humanity as a whole. French distinguishes explicitly between the singular masculine homme, the plural hommes, and the feminine femme, with corresponding adjective and verb agreement.

See also: French grammar on gender and articles; etymology of homme; Homo (Latin root for man).