étrenne
French, noun
étrenne is spelled É-T-R-E-N-N-E (7 letters) and appears about once in every 10 million words in written French, the 104,709th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Étrenne is a French feminine noun meaning “the first time something is used/worn/done” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With an accent, étrenné is a different word: “past participle of étrenner”. The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Présent que l’on fait à Noël ou le premier jour de l’année”.
What does étrenne mean in English?
noun
- 1
feminineobsoletethe first sale of the day made by a shopkeeper, merchant etc.
- 2
femininerarethe first time something is used/worn/done
- 3
feminineNew Year's gift; Christmas present (especially when talking to a child)
Et que veux-tu pour tes étrennes?
verb
- 1
past participle of étrenner
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Présent que l’on fait à Noël ou le premier jour de l’année. 2. Premier usage qu’on fait d’une chose. 3. Défloration d'une femme.
adjective: 1. Qui est utilisé pour la première fois.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of étrenne
- étrennes plural
- étrennée feminine
- étrennés masculine plural
- étrennées feminine plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How common is étrenne in French?
étrenne appears about once in every 10 million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).