trou

Trou is a French noun meaning a hole, opening, gap, or cavity. It can refer to a hollow space in a solid object, such as a hole in the ground or a perforation in fabric, as well as more figurative openings or gaps, like a hole in a surface or a breach in a plan. The word is used in a wide range of contexts, from everyday objects to astronomy and culture.

Etymology and usage notes

The term arises in Old French as trou and has cognates in other Romance languages. The precise historical origins are not always stated in modern references, but the word has been part of the French lexicon for centuries and remains common in both literal and metaphorical senses. In everyday speech, phrases such as faire un trou (to make a hole), un trou dans le budget (a hole in the budget), or un trou de mémoire (a memory lapse) illustrate its flexibility.

Science and technology

In physics and materials science, trou is used to denote a hole as a charge carrier: the absence of an electron that behaves like a positively charged particle in semiconductors. This concept is central to understanding electronic conduction in p-type materials. The term is also used in astronomy in compounds like trou noir, the literal French for black hole, though the full term is more common.

Culture and notable use

Le Trou is a well-known French film from 1960 about a prison escape, illustrating a literal and symbolic use of the word. The term also appears in various titles translated as The Hole in English-language media. Beyond titles, trou appears in many idioms and place-names across French-speaking regions.

See also

Hole (in English), black hole, foramen, aperture.