French word of the Day: Domestique
un domestique
?
Because it will help you understand the Tour de France coverage.
What does it mean?
Un Domestique
- pronounced dom-es-teek - literally translates as servant or household staff. But these days its more common use is in the world of cycling.
If you're watching the Tour de France, you might hear the commentators refer to some riders as '
Les
domestiques
' - these are the junior members of each team whose job is to help pace and protect the lead rider and get them into the best position possible for a stage win.
They are normally younger riders gaining experience and their junior status within the team is made explicit is the slightly demeaning use of 'servant' - they might help out with tasks such as passing water bottles but they're not actually expected to do domestic tasks like cleaning the team bus.
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Otherwise the term
domestique
is most commonly heard in historical novels or period TV shows, unless you're mingling with the super wealthy.
A cleaner or a hotel maid is more likely to be referred to as the
femme de ménage
(or
homme de ménage
). In fact
menage
or
ménagères
is the general translation for 'domestic' in the sense of a domestic setting or domestic chores.
In French 'domestic' is not commonly used as an opposite to international, you would likely use the word '
national
' or '
intérieur
'.
Use it like this
Il est un domestique dans l'équipe Ineos, mais je pense qu'il est un futur vainqueur du Tour de France
- He's a 'domestique' in the Ineos team, but I think he's a future Tour de France champion
Pas devant les domestiques, ma chère
- Not in front of the servants, my dear
Il se vend bien tant sur le marché national qu'international
- It sells well in both the domestic and international markets
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