arrondissement

noun

ar·​ron·​disse·​ment ə-ˈrän-də-smənt  ˌa-ˌrōⁿ-(ˌ)dē-ˈsmäⁿ 

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

This château hotel is tucked away in the 16th arrondissement and oozes nostalgic charm with design by Laura Gonzalez, who fused Art Deco influences with 19th-century motifs and an abundance of antique objects. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025

Incidentally, last month Istituto Marangoni also unveiled its new site in Paris’ rue Boissière, in the 16th arrondissement. —Sandra Salibian, WWD, 19 Feb. 2025

The property, located near the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris’s 6th arrondissement, had not been renovated since the 1980s. —Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 4 Feb. 2025

An American woman was being held in police custody in Paris on Monday following the death of a newborn baby, who was thrown from the window of a hotel in the 20th arrondissement, authorities said. —Jay Marques, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2025

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