procédé

Procédé is a French noun meaning a way of doing something; a method, technique, or process. In English, the closest equivalents are process, method, or procedure. The term is common in technical, scientific, industrial, and artistic domains to denote a defined sequence of steps or a distinctive technique.

Originating from the verb procéder, which in turn comes from Latin procedere “to advance,” procède is pronounced roughly pro-say-day in French. The noun is masculine (un procédé). In writing, you may see the word used as a label for a particular technique or set of steps, regardless of the field.

In science and industry, a procédé designates a specific technique or process, such as a chemical procédé (procédé chimique), a manufacturing procédé (procédé de fabrication), or an imaging procédé (procédé photographique). In law and patents, it is used to name a process that may be eligible for protection: un procédé brevetable (a patentable process).

Historical and artistic contexts include named processes from photography and printing, where procédé identifies a particular method used to produce images or materials, such as the daguerreotype process or other historic techniques. These usages often retain a sense of a formalized or recognized method within a discipline.

In English, the term procédé is rarely used outside French contexts; the closest equivalents are process, method, or technique. Procédé connotes a codified, repeatable technique with a defined set of steps, rather than a general or informal approach.