rauque

Rauque is a French adjective meaning hoarse or rough in tone. It describes sounds that are gravelly and harsh, most often a voice, but also the timbre of instruments, cries, or even the atmosphere of a place. Common phrases include une voix rauque ("a hoarse voice"), un rire rauque ("a husky laugh"), and un cri rauque. The term can carry connotations of fatigue, age, or distress.

Etymology: The word derives from Old French rauque and is cognate with the English word raucous, both stemming from a common root denoting harshness of sound.

Usage: In modern French, rauque is used in literary and descriptive contexts as well as everyday speech to emphasize a gravelly vocal quality rather than mere loudness. It can describe human voices, animal cries, or a weathered, rugged atmosphere when used figuratively.

See also: Related terms in French include timbre grave (low timbre) for low-pitched voices, and rugueux or rugue for rough textures in other senses. The expression voix rauque remains the standard collocation when describing a hoarse voice.