merde

Merde is a French noun meaning feces or excrement; in everyday language it is also a strong vulgar interjection roughly equivalent to "shit" in English. The word comes from Latin merda and has cognates in other Romance languages, such as Spanish mierda and Italian merda.

Beyond its literal sense, merde functions as a general expletive to express anger, surprise, or frustration. It can be used as a stand-alone interjection (Merde!), or within phrases such as "c'est de la merde" (that’s crap). In colloquial use, it appears in dialogue to convey crude realism; in formal writing it is typically avoided.

A notable cultural role exists in French theatre. A traditional good-luck wish among performers is to say "merde" rather than "bonne chance." The origin of this superstition is uncertain; a popular explanation links a large audience with many horse-drawn carriages outside the theater, implying more people and more "merde" on the streets, which paradoxically signals success.

Polite usage and variants: because it is vulgar, speakers often substitute milder terms in formal contexts, such as "mince," "zut," or "flûte." In translations and English-language discussion, merde is usually rendered as "shit" or "crap," depending on tone; it is sometimes encountered in discussions of French language and culture or in translations of French media.