French Word of the Day: Rédhibitoire

Whether you're talking about a job interview, a relationship or purchasing something, this is the perfect French word to know.

This French word is good to know if something is unacceptable.

The adjective rédhibitoire, roughly pronounced ray-dee-bee-twar (listen here ), means that something is a "deal-breaker" or "fatal to a project". It describes a major flaw or problem that is so significant that it can rule something out.

Rédhibitoire comes from the Latin redhibere , meaning "to return" or "to give back."

Originally, rédhibitoire was a legal term used exclusively in the context of a sale. It referred to a hidden defect in the item being sold one that was unknown to the buyer at the time of purchase and serious enough to justify cancelling the sale.

The term most often applied to goods or animals. For example, a horse might suffer from an undisclosed illness that made it unfit for its intended purpose. In such cases, the hidden defect, known as a vice rédhibitoire , gave the buyer the legal right to rescind the contract.

In everyday French, it commonly refers to a deal-breaker - something that makes a job candidate, relationship, purchase or project unacceptable.

Pour beaucoup d'employeurs, mentir sur son CV est rédhibitoire. - For many employers, lying on your CV is a deal-breaker.

L'absence de permis de conduire est rédhibitoire pour ce poste. - Not having a driving licence is disqualifying for this job.