étau

French

Etymology

From Old Frankish *stok.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /e.to/
Audio (Nancy, France) (file)

Noun

étau m (plural étaux)

vise, vice (instrument consisting of two jaws for holding work)
(figuratively) noose, net
L’étau se resserre. ― The noose is tightening.
- 2023 May, Constant Léon, “L'Arménie en quête de soutien”, in Le Monde diplomatique, page 12:
  L’étau se resserre autour du Haut-Karabakh, que Bakou entend ramener dans son giron.
  The net is tightening around Nagorno-Karabakh, which Baku intends to bring back into its fold.

Further reading

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

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