Le gratte-ciel
Example: Le gratte-ciel domine la ville avec ses nombreuses fenêtres.
Definition
"Le gratte-ciel" refers to a very tall building with many floors, typically found in urban areas and designed for office or residential use. It is characterized by its height, often dominating city skylines with numerous windows and a modern architectural style.
Etymology
The term "le gratte-ciel" literally means 'scrape-sky' in French, reflecting the building's impressive height as if it were scraping the sky. It was borrowed from the English term 'skyscraper' in the late 19th to early 20th century, symbolizing the rapid urban development and architectural innovation of that era.
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"Le gratte-ciel" appears in the Vocaplus list "French - Construction - (A1-C2) - set 1", containing 110 commonly used words.
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