Did you know that several French nautical terms have Dutch roots?
Through centuries of maritime exchange, Dutch terminology entered the French language. Words such as chaloupe (from “sloep”), bâbord (from “bakboord”), tribord (from “stuurboord”) and foc (from “fok”) reflect this influence.
Even terms like vrac, affaler and livarde point to a shared seafaring heritage.
A reminder that maritime trade has long shaped European languages.
