arrondissement

noun

ar·​ron·​disse·​ment ə-ˈrän-də-smənt How to pronounce arrondissement (audio) ˌa-ˌrōⁿ-(ˌ)dē-ˈsmäⁿ How to pronounce arrondissement (audio)
1
: an administrative district of some large French cities
2
: the largest division of a French department

Examples of arrondissement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Birkin intrigued the core Hermès customers, who lived in the tony 16th arrondissement where Birkin herself lived, or on the equally tony Upper East Side in New York City. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026 Located in the Marais district of Paris in the city's 3rd arrondissement, the market was founded in 1615 during the reign of King Louis XIII. — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 The market of the Red Children in the city's 3rd arrondissement was the oldest covered food market in the city. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 The Musée Nissim de Camondo, which houses one of the finest collections of 18th-century art in France, is located in Paris’s upscale 8th arrondissement. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arrondissement

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "action of making round or rounding off, circumscription of boundaries, extension of a territory, subdivision of a French department," going back to Middle French, "rounding off," from arrondiss-, variant stem of arrondir "to make round, round off" (going back to Old French arondir, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs — going back to Latin ad- ad- — + -rondir, verbal derivative of reund, rond round entry 1) + -ment -ment

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of arrondissement was in 1746

Rhymes for arrondissement

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Browse Nearby Words

arrondi
arrondissement
arrow
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Cite this Entry

“Arrondissement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrondissement. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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