French Word of the Day: Emplettes

With its slightly old-fashioned charm, this French word is one that you might come across while shopping.

Whether you're picking up a few gifts or simply browsing the shops, this French word is a charming way to talk about a little shopping trip.

The French word emplettes, roughly pronounced anh-plet (listen here ), means small shopping trips or purchases, usually for everyday items. It is often used in the expression faire des emplettes , meaning “to do some shopping”.

Unlike faire les courses , which usually refers to buying groceries or other household essentials, faire des emplettes can sound a little more leisurely and may suggest browsing shops and buying a few things. It is often used when talking about shopping for clothes, gifts or other personal items.

The word is generally used in the plural, les emplettes , and has a slightly old-fashioned or charming feel.

The word emplettes comes from the verb empletter , an older word meaning “to buy” or “to make purchases”. More precisely, the word dates back to the 13th century, when emplette meant a task, activity or undertaking. It derives from the popular Latin implicita , the past participle of implicare , meaning “to involve” or “to engage”. By the early 15th century, it had acquired the meaning of a purchase.

Je vais faire quelques emplettes en ville . - I’m going to do a bit of shopping in town.

Elle est rentrée avec plusieurs sacs après ses emplettes . - She came home with several bags after her shopping trip.

Nous avons fait quelques emplettes pour Noël. - We did a bit of Christmas shopping.