⚠️ Textile vs. legal false friend: suit ≠ always costume
The meaning of suit depends entirely on context:
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Everyday usage: suit → costume (vêtement)
-
Legal usage: suit → procès / action en justice / poursuite
🧥 Everyday usage: suit → costume (clothing)
Examples (EN → FR):
-
He wore a dark blue suit to the meeting.
→ Il portait un costume bleu foncé à la réunion. -
Business suit / tailored suit
→ Costume de ville / costume sur mesure
⚖️ Legal usage: suit → procès / action en justice
In legal or court-related documents, suit (often lawsuit) denotes proceedings before a court.
Examples (EN → FR):
-
To bring a suit against someone
→ Intenter une action contre quelqu’un -
The plaintiff filed a suit for damages
→ Le demandeur a intenté une action en dommages-intérêts -
This suit is pending before the district court
→ Cette affaire est en instance devant le tribunal de district
👉 Note: lawsuit is a near-synonym of suit and often clearer in legal English; in French, translate as procès, action en justice, or poursuite judiciaire depending on context.
📌 Other, less common meanings (EN → FR)
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suit of armor → armure
-
suit (in cards) → couleur (au jeu de cartes)
-
to suit your needs → convenir à vos besoins (verbe convenir)
✅ Quick reference
| English term | Correct French translation | Pitfall to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| suit (clothing) | costume | procès |
| suit (legal) | procès / action en justice | costume |
| to bring a suit | intenter une action | (apporter un costume) |
| lawsuit | procès / poursuite judiciaire | — |
📌 TransLex Tip
Before translating suit into French, ask yourself:
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Are we in a legal, clothing, or idiomatic context?
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Does suit refer to a garment, a court proceeding, or a verb/expression?
-
Do nearby terms (e.g., lawsuit, filed, damages, court) signal a legal context?
👉 Bottom line:
-
suit (clothing) → costume
-
suit / lawsuit (legal) → procès / action en justice (and sometimes poursuite depending on context)
