professionnelles

Professionnelles is the feminine plural form of the French adjective professionnel, meaning related to a profession or demonstrating expertise. It also functions as a feminine plural noun referring to women who work in a given field. In practice, as a noun it is often accompanied by a noun or determiner to avoid ambiguity, for example les professionnelles du secteur de la santé.

In use, the term appears in contexts such as recruitment, policy language, and professional descriptors. When employed as an adjective, it agrees with the noun: une pratique professionnelle (feminine singular), des compétences professionnelles (feminine plural). Common collocations include compétences professionnelles, qualifications professionnelles, and assurance professionnelle. To refer specifically to women, speakers may say femmes professionnelles or les professionnelles du secteur, depending on formality and precision.

Linguistically, professionnel derives from Late Latin via Old French, with professionnel and professionnelle forming the gender and number system characteristic of French adjectives and certain nouns. The feminine plural form professionnelle(s) contrasts with the masculine forms professionnel/professionnels and aligns with other gendered noun phrases in the language.

In modern usage, professionnelles often appears in neutral, descriptive contexts rather than as a standalone label. For clarity, writers frequently pair it with a field or activity (par exemple, professionnelles du droit, professionnelles de la santé) or choose phrasing that explicitly notes gender when relevant (par exemple, femmes professionnelles). Overall, the term conveys professionalism and gendered plurality within French discourse.