secher

Secher, written with the accent in French as sécher, is primarily a verb meaning to dry or to dry out. It can refer to removing moisture from objects, surfaces, foods, or soils, as well as to the process of becoming dry. In a broader sense it can describe the act of desiccating or removing dampness.

Etymology and usage notes: sécher derives from the Latin siccus, meaning dry. In French, it is used with reflexive forms for some senses, and its participle is séché. The verb appears in various tenses and moods, with the present indicative forms je sèche, tu sèches, il sèche, nous séchons, vous séchez, ils sèchent.

Common conjugation forms and examples: j’ai séché (I dried), je séchais (I was drying), je sécherai (I will dry). Imperative forms include sèche et séchez. Typical constructions include sécher les vêtements, sécher les aliments, sécher un plancher, or sécher le sol après la pluie. The noun séché describes something that has been dried, as in aliments séchés or fruits séchés; the process is called le séchage.

Other meanings and variants: in informal French, sécher les cours means to skip classes or to cut school. Related terms include le séchage, le séchoir (a dryer or drying device), and la sécheresse (dryness or drought). The unaccented form secher may appear in English-language text as a surname or toponym, though without accent it is less common in French contexts.

See also: desiccation, dryness, drying equipment.