étendu

Étendu is a French adjective and noun. As an adjective, étendu means extended, stretched, broad, or wide. It can describe physical dimensions (un territoire étendu), a longer time span (une période étendue), or figurative breadth (son influence étendue). The masculine singular form is étendu, the feminine étendue; the plural forms are étendus and étendues.

The word derives from Latin extensus, past participle of extendere "to stretch out," via Old French estendre/étendre. The noun étendue, feminine, denotes the extent, scope, area, or reach of something, and is used in administrative, legal, and descriptive contexts.

In usage, étendu appears in phrases such as l'étendue des dégâts (the extent of the damage) or l'étendue d'un problème (the scope of a problem). The expression dans toute son étendue ("in all its breadth") is common in literary or rhetorical writing. The concept is closely tied to notions of scope, reach, and coverage, and is often contrasted with limits or confines.

In brief, étendu conveys the idea of breadth and scope, while étendue names that breadth as a noun. Both forms are standard in modern French and appear across everyday language, law, geography, and discourse.