Is « adieu » masculine or feminine?

« adieu » is masculine. You say l'adieu.

Article forms

With the definite article l'adieu
With the indefinite article un adieu
With the partitive article de l'adieu

Plural

The plural is adieux (les adieux). A noun keeps its gender in the plural; only the article stops showing it.

Why the gender

adieu ends in -eu. Nouns ending in -eu are usually masculine, so adieu follows the pattern. The full rules by ending cover every common suffix.

Related words

Other common nouns that end the same way:

Common questions

Is « adieu » masculine or feminine?

« adieu » is masculine. You say l'adieu.

« l'adieu » hides the gender. Is « adieu » masculine or feminine?

It is masculine. The article shortens to « l'adieu » for both genders, but you say un adieu, not une adieu, and adjectives take the masculine form.


Check another word, or read the complete guide to French noun gender.