élevée

Élevée is the feminine singular form of the French adjective élevé and of the past participle élever. It has two broad uses in French: as an adjective meaning raised, lifted, or high, and as a past participle meaning brought up or nurtured. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.

As an adjective, élevé/elevée describes physical elevation or high quality. It can refer to concrete elevations such as une surface élevée (a raised surface) or to figurative levels like des valeurs élevées (high values). It can also appear in phrases indicating stature or prominence, for example une montagne élevée (a high mountain). The masculine plural is élevés and the feminine plural is élevées.

As a past participle, élevée denotes what someone or something has been brought up or educated to be. In everyday usage, bien élevée describes good upbringing or polite manners, as in une fille bien élevée (a well-raised girl). In passive or perfect constructions, it agrees with the subject’s gender and number, for example elle a été élevée dans une famille stricte.

Etymology and related forms: élevé comes from élever, which derives from Latin elevare. Related terms include élever (to raise), élevage (the act or industry of raising, especially animals), and élevé/élevée as the masculine and feminine forms of the adjective and past participle.

See also: élever, élevage, élevé, éducation.