pataphysique
French, noun/pa.ta.fi.zik/
pataphysique is spelled P-A-T-A-P-H-Y-S-I-Q-U-E (12 letters) and appears about once in every 10 million words in written French, the 105,879th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Pataphysique is a French feminine noun meaning “pataphysics (absurdist philosophy)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Branche de la science qui étudie les solutions imaginaires”.
What does pataphysique mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininepataphysics (absurdist philosophy)
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Branche de la science qui étudie les solutions imaginaires.
adjective: 1. Relatif à la pataphysique.
noun: 1. Variante orthographique de pataphysique.
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 pataphysique
- ’pataphysique alternative
- pataphysiques plural masculine feminine
- ’pataphysiques plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce pataphysique?
- /pa.ta.fi.zik/
- \pa.ta.fi.zik\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
How common is pataphysique in French?
pataphysique 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).