lointain

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French loingtien, from Vulgar Latin *longitānus, from Latin longē. Compare Italian lontano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lwɛ̃.tɛ̃/

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Adjective

lointain (feminine lointaine, masculine plural lointains, feminine plural lointaines)

1. (of a place, usually literary) distant, remote, far-off

   Synonyms: distant, éloigné

   Antonym: proche

   terres lointaines ― distant lands

   lointaines campagnes ― distant countryside

2. (figuratively) distant

   Synonyms: absent, détaché, distant

   Antonym: présent

   une expression lointaine ― a distant expression

   • 2015, Fréro Delavega, Ton visage:

     Que n’ai-je? Une planche de salut, loin du métro, de son raffut. Les yeux rivés sur le rivage oublier ton lointain visage.

     What do I not have? A lifeline, far from the metro and all that racket. My eyes glued to the shore to forget your distant face.

Derived terms

• lointainement

Related terms

• loin
• long

Noun

lointain m (plural lointains)

1. a far-off place

   dans le lointain ― in the distance

Further reading

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