comte a count; n.o.bleman.
comtesse the wife or widow of a n.o.bleman.
cordon bleu literally blue ribbon; a wide blue ribbon worn by members of the highest order of knighthood.
corps de baleine whalebone corset.
coucher bedtime.
Courrier de Paris et de Versailles a satirical revolutionary newspaper.
Dauphin the dauphin, the heir to the French throne, was the most senior of the King"s sons and was usually addressed as Monsieur le Dauphin. Dauphin is literally dolphin, the animal depicted on the Dauphin"s coat of arms.
Dauphine wife of the heir to the throne, usually addressed as Madame la Dauphine.
de of; pl. des of more than one object.
Deficit deficit, lack of money; Madame Deficit the name given to the Queen for her profligate ways.
descampativos party game similar to blind man"s buff, but where all partic.i.p.ants save one are hidden under sheets.
dissipation preoccupation with trivia.
distrait with mind elsewhere.
droit au tabouret right to a seat, a position of power.
droit de ceinture right to a salary. Ceinture is literally a belt or girdle.
Duc Duke; a member of the n.o.bility, of highest rank below the King. May rule a sub-kingdom of his own: a duchy.
d.u.c.h.esse a woman who holds a duchy in her own right, or is the wife of a duke.
du pain bread.
eau sucre sweet or sugared water.
embonpoint overweight; a plump, hourgla.s.s figure.
emigres emigrants, often for political reasons; foreigners.
Enfants de France literally the children of France, but actually the royal children; common children don"t matter.
en pa.s.sant in pa.s.sing.
Essai Historique sur la Vie de Marie Antoinette Historical Essay on the Life of Marie Antoinette describing her failings, real and imagined.
et and.
faubourgs suburbs.
femme de chambre chambermaid.
fete fair; festival.
Foi, Amour, Esperance ... the Queen"s embroidery for Axel de Fersen: Faith, Love, Hope, Three, united forever.
fleur-de-lis (pl. fleurs-de-lis) a stylized lily (fleur means "flower", and lis means "lily") or iris used as a decorative design or symbol. There is an example in the heading of this glossary (and repeated elsewhere).
gateau de Savoie sponge-cake.
gaucherie awkward or unsophisticated way.
gaulle white muslin straight unwaisted dress.
gendarmerie police; a military body charged with police duties.
grande couturiere great dressmaker.
Granpere Grandfather.
Guerre des Farines the flour war, a wave of riots in 1775 leading to the French Revolution. The King was responsible for feeding his subjects (bread was a staple) and following poor harvests, together with police withholding supplies from the royal stores, there were serious shortages of wheat, flour and hence bread. This widespread revolt was quelled by the intervention of troops.
guerre des femmes war of the women: the conflict between Marie Antoinette and Louis XV"s mistress, Madame du Barry.
guerre panpan war games.
Hameau hamlet, village. Marie-Antoinette escaped from the stifling royal court life in Paris to Versailles, from the stifling court life of the Grand Chateau de Versailles to the Grand Trianon, and from the stifling court life of the Grand Trianon to the Pet.i.t Trianon. Still feeling stifled, she ordered the design and construction of the Hameau to remind her of her native Austria.
Hotel de Ville town or city hall.
illuminateur lamplighter.
Il pleut, il pleut ... children"s song: It"s raining, it"s raining, shepherdess, Quickly gather your white sheep ...
intime intimate.
L"Ami du Peuple The Friend of the People was a newspaper written by Jean-Paul Marat, advocating the rights of the lower cla.s.ses and against those he believed to be their enemies.
L"Anglais a Bordeaux The Englishman in Bordeaux is a comic opera by Charles-Simon Favart which premiered at the Comedie-Francaise in 1763.
la the (singular feminine), referring to one object. The "a" is dropped if the next word starts with a vowel; eg l"office not la office.
Lache qui les abandonne Faint heart he who forsakes her.
lanterne street-light; lamp post; see also a la lanterne.
le the (singular masculine), referring to one object. The "e" is dropped if the next word starts with a vowel; eg l"enfant (the child) not le enfant.
Le Sorcier The Wizard is a comic opera by Francois-Andre Danican Philidor which premiered in Paris in 1764.
Le Dormeur Eveille The Sleeper Awakened by Jean-Francois Marmontel (17231799), French historian and writer.
legerete lightness, frivolity.
les the (plural of le and la), referring to more than one object; les enfants (the children).
Les Precieuses Ridicules The Affected Ladies is a one-act satire by Moliere. Cathos, the part played by Marie Antoinette, is one of the two precious ladies.
lese-majeste an offense against a sovereign power; an attack against someone"s dignity or against a custom or inst.i.tution held sacred.
lettre de cachet letter with the King"s seal.
lever arising, getting up.
limonadiere lemonade seller.
lit a part sleeping separately.
livre one livre is worth about $US11 in 2015.
louis a gold coin worth 24 livres, about $US250 in 2015. Introduced by Louis XIII.
Madame a t.i.tle of respect for an older or married woman, literally my lady.
Madame la Dauphine see Dauphine.
Madame Royale t.i.tle of the king"s eldest daughter until she married.
Mademoiselle young unmarried lady; literally my n.o.ble young lady.
maison de plaisir house of pleasure or fun.
Maman Mom; Mamma.
marcheuses street walkers (female).
Mariage de Figaro The Marriage of Figaro is a comedy in five acts, written in 1778 by Pierre Beaumarchais.
Ma.r.s.eillaise song thought to have been written in 1792 after the declaration of war by France against Austria. The Ma.r.s.eillaise was a revolutionary song, an anthem to freedom, a patriotic call to mobilize the citizens, and an exhortation to fight against tyranny and the foreign invasion. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic"s anthem in 1795. It acquired its nickname after being sung in Paris by volunteers from Ma.r.s.eille marching on the capital: Arise, children of the Fatherland The day of glory has arrived!
Against us tyranny"s b.l.o.o.d.y knife is raised, b.l.o.o.d.y knife is raised Do you hear in this countryside, The roar of those ferocious soldiers?
They"re coming right into our arms, To cut the throats of our women, our companions!
To arms, citizens, Form your battalions, Let"s march, let"s march!
Let an impure blood Water our furrows!
Mercure de France a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century. Mercury (Mercure) was supposedly a fleet footed messenger of the G.o.ds.
mignonne cute, pretty.
mon my.
mon Dieu my G.o.d.
Monsieur Mr, Sir.
Monsieur le Dauphin heir to the throne. See also Dauphin.
moqueuse mocker, scoffer (female).
neglige robe or a dressing gown, usually of sheer or soft fabric.
notre our.
Non, jamais ... No, there will be no more beautiful days for me; my happiness is over, and I am condemned to eternal regrets in a sad and listless life.
O Richard, o mon Roi song adopted by the royalists after the revolutionaries created ca Ira as their anthem. From Richard the Lion-Hearted, an opera by Belgian composer Andre Gretry, the aria is sung to the imprisoned king by his faithful servant, Blondel: Oh Richard oh my king, The universe abandons you, In the whole world, there is none but I, Who takes care for you oeil de boeuf bull"s eye. Oeil-de-boeuf windows are small circular or oval windows. In the Palace of Versailles there is an anteroom to the King"s bedroom called the oeil-de-boeuf (room), which is lighted by such a window.
operation operation. Louis XVI may have suffered from phimosis, a condition of the p.e.n.i.s where the foreskin cannot be fully retracted. This is normal in boys and usually corrects itself in adolescence. As the king was only fifteen when he married, he may have been a late developer, and the operation was not needed after all.
outre outrageous; over the top.
Patriote Francaise news-sheet French Patriot whose editor, Jacques Pierre Brissot, became one of the revolution"s most vocal supporters. He edited the Patriote Francaise from 1789 to 1793, and took a prominent part in politics.
payez pay, approved for payment.
Pere Father, Senior.
Pere d.u.c.h.esne Old Man d.u.c.h.esne or Father d.u.c.h.esne was an extreme radical newspaper during the French Revolution, edited by Jacques Hebert, who published 385 issues from September 1790. To be denounced as an enemy of the Republic by Le Pere d.u.c.h.esne often led to the guillotine.
Pet.i.te Reine ... song warning the young Queen to mend her ways: Little Queen, you must not be So saucy, with your twenty years; Your ill-used courtiers soon will see You pa.s.s once more, the barriers.
Fal lal lal, fal lal la.
Perseus Persee is a lyric tragedy with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully.
pet.i.t(e) small; the "e" is added when referring to feminine objects.
pet.i.ts appartements smaller apartments in the Palace of Versailles, a suite of rooms used by Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. Located on the first floor of the palace, the rooms are found in the oldest part of the palace dating from the reign of Louis XIII. Under Louis XIV, these rooms housed the king"s collections of artworks and books, forming a museum of sorts. Under Louis XV and Louis XVI, the rooms were modified to accommodate private living quarters and lavishly decorated.
Pet.i.t Trianon small chateau in the grounds of Versailles. Although built by Louis XV for his mistresses, Louis XVI gave Le Pet.i.t Trianon to Marie-Antoinette when he became king in 1774. This became her hideaway, and no one was allowed to visit without her invitation.
Peut on affliger ce qu"on aime? Can we mourn those we love? from Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny"s opera Le Deserteur (The Deserter).
poissardes fish-seller, coa.r.s.e woman.