poitrine

English

Etymology

From French poitrine or a Middle or Old French predecessor.

Pronunciation

• (anglicized) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔɪ.tɹin/
• (gallicized) IPA^(key): /ˌpwɑˈtɹin/
• Rhymes: (gallicized) -iːn

Noun

poitrine (plural poitrines)

1. (historical) The breastplate of a knight's armour.
2. Synonym of poitrel (“chest-armor for a horse”)
   • 1924, Albert Frederick Calvert, Spain: An Historical and Descriptive Account of Its Architecture, Landscape, and Arts, page 58:

     The horse-armour of the harnesses (A37-38), on the contrary, seems to have been made for the Emperor Maxmilian, […] The ear-coverings of the one are shaped like rams ' horns, and the poitrine, or breast-plate, is embossed with grotesque faces.

   • 1936, Frank Gair Macomber, Arms and Armor, Oriental and European Examples of the XV to XVIII Centuries: Valuable Gothic and Renaissance Tapestries:

     IMPORTANT Suit of TURKISH HORSE ARMOR XV Century
     Composed of : chanfron, neck defences, poitrine, croupiere and side pieces of rectangular plates of steel joined by riveted links of mail; saddle, bridle, and stirrups.

3. Chest, bosom, especially of a woman.
   • 2018, Jerome Bixby, Devilish Tales: A collection of droll, teasing and very wicked fantasies, Digital Parchment Press

     Full red lips and a patrician nose, and a delicately formed but ample poitrine that curled Pierre's hands into iron hooks beneath the counter. "Forgive me, kind sir," she said, in a voice like music in a bedroom, […]

   • 2008, Leslie Carroll, Royal Affairs: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy, Penguin, →ISBN, page 326:

     Her bodices fully covered her ample poitrine right up to her nonexistent neck.

   • 2010, Dick Cavett, Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets, Macmillan, →ISBN:

     (She points to her ID badge, situated on her ample poitrine, allowing my next unforgivable remark.) DC: Men don't have those.

Related terms

• poitrinal, poitrel
• petronel
• pectoral

Anagrams

• pointier

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French poitrine, peitrine, from Vulgar Latin *pectorīna, derived from Latin pectus. Gradually replaced pis, now meaning udder. Cognate with Spanish pretina (“waistband”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pwa.tʁin/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

poitrine f (plural poitrines)

1. (anatomy) chest, thorax, torso

   Synonyms: thorax, buste, torse

   bomber la poitrine ― to puff up one's chest

   Il a la poitrine velue. ― He has a hairy chest.

2. breast, bosom

   Synonyms: sein, buste, (literary) gorge

   • 1975, Pierre-Robert Leclercq, Parfois la nuit, Éditions Calmann-Lévy:

     Il détaillait ma beauté, un cri d’extase pour mes yeux, un béement prolongé pour mes mains, un sifflement coquin pour mes jambes, un silence bien préparé pour ma poitrine.

     He examined my beauty piece by piece: a cry of ecstasy for my eyes, a prolonged gape for my hands, a naughty whistle for my legs, a well-prepared silence for my bosom.

3. (butchery) breast (of poultry, as meat)

   une poitrine de veau ― a breast of veal

   une poitrine de mouton ― a breast of mutton

   Du bœuf dans la poitrine. ― Beef in the brisket.

Derived terms

• angine de poitrine
• astrild à poitrine fauve
• bécasseau à poitrine cendrée
• bomber la poitrine
• cardinal à poitrine rose
• casse-poitrine
• conure à poitrine brune
• conure à poitrine grise
• fluxion de poitrine
• grallaire à poitrine jaune
• grenadin à poitrine bleue
• pie-grièche à poitrine rose
• pintade à poitrine blanche
• poitrinaire
• poitrinal
• poitriné
• poitriner
• poitrinière
• psittacule à poitrine orange
• se frapper la poitrine
• se battre la poitrine
• sittelle à poitrine blanche
• voix de poitrine

Verb

poitrine

1. first-person singular indicative/present of poitriner
2. first-person singular subjunctive present of poitriner
3. second-person singular imperative of poitriner
4. third-person singular indicative present of poitriner
5. third-person singular subjunctive present of poitriner

Related terms

• expectorer
• pectoral
• pis
• poitrail

See also

• sein

Further reading

• “poitrine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Alternative forms

• peitrine

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *pectorīna, derived from Latin pectus.

Pronunciation

• (archaic) IPA^(key): /pei̯ˈtɾinə/
• (classical) IPA^(key): /poi̯ˈtɾinə/
• (late) IPA^(key): /po̯ɛˈtɾinə/

Noun

poitrine oblique singular, f (oblique plural poitrines, nominative singular poitrine, nominative plural poitrines)

1. (anatomy) chest
   • c. 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:

     Sor l'escu devant la peitrine

     On the shield, in front of his chest

Related terms

• piz, peiz

Descendants

• French: poitrine