zézayer

Senses

1. 1.

   to lisp

   to pronounce 's' and 'z' sounds with a lisp, typically replacing them with a 'z' sound

Examples

• "L'enfant zézaye parce qu'il perd ses dents."

  The child lisps because he is losing his teeth.

• "Elle zézayait légèrement, ce qui donnait un charme à sa voix."

  She had a slight lisp, which gave her voice a certain charm.

• "Ne zézaye pas quand tu parles en public!"

  Don't lisp when you speak in public!

Usage

Informal and often playful register. Often used to describe children or to gently mock someone's speech defect. The related noun is le zézaiement (lisping).