chapeau
part of speech
noun (French: un chapeau, des chapeaux); exclamation (Chapeau! — informal)
meaning for a pupil
1) (French) "Chapeau" is the French word for "hat". It sounds like "sha-POH" to an English ear. It is not really an English word. tree →
2) (informal, borrowed from French) "Chapeau!" is said to praise someone: "Hats off to you! Well done!" — used by some English speakers, especially in sport like cycling. tree →
sense in the lessons
In French lessons "chapeau" is a basic clothing word: "un chapeau rouge" (a red hat). English speakers sometimes use it jokingly for a fancy hat, and cycling fans say "Chapeau!" to show respect for a great ride. It tells the reader a speaker is using French for style or praise.
examples
- "Chapeau" means "hat" in French. tree →
- "J'ai un chapeau bleu" means "I have a blue hat". tree →
- The plural in French is "chapeaux", with an x. tree →
- She won the race all alone — chapeau! tree →
- The magician pulled a rabbit from his chapeau. tree →
- In English we would say "hats off" instead of "chapeau". tree →
note
A French word, not an English one; the French plural is "chapeaux" (the x is silent). Pronounced sha-POH. "Chapeau!" as praise = "hats off!" (taking your hat off to someone to show respect).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «chapeau» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.