bercail

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French bercal, from Vulgar Latin *berbicale, from *berbīx, from Latin vervex (“wether; castrated ram”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛʁ.kaj/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

bercail m (plural bercails)

1. (dated) fold (enclosure for animals)
2. (figuratively, informal) house, home

   Tous les invités sont rentrés au bercail.

   All the guests have gone home.

Further reading

• “bercail”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.