friction
French, noun/fʁik.sjɔ̃/
friction is spelled F-R-I-C-T-I-O-N (8 letters) and appears 1.4 times per million words in written French, the 25,925th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Friction is a French feminine noun meaning “friction: the rubbing, the conflict or the physics force” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Frottement que l’on fait sur quelque partie du corps, à sec ou autrement, avec les mains, avec une brosse…”.
What does friction mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininefriction: the rubbing, the conflict or the physics force
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Frottement que l’on fait sur quelque partie du corps, à sec ou autrement, avec les mains, avec une brosse, avec de la flanelle, etc., pour activer la circulation, calmer une douleur, etc. 2. Lotion faite sur le cuir chevelu. 3. Désaccord, accrochage.
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 friction
- frictions plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce friction?
- /fʁik.sjɔ̃/
- \fʁik.sjɔ̃\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to friction
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is friction in French?
friction appears 1.4 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).