What does the word "Voldemort" (the antagonist in the 'Harry Potter' series) mean in French?

intergalactic9

It means the same. It isn't French for anything. http://translate.google.com/translate_t# Feb 09 09, 10:30 AM

Baloo55th

Vol de mort in French means something like flight of death (mort literally = dead man). Source: Baloo's French knowledge, confirmed by checking in his pocket French dictionary. Knowing the way JKR creates names, it could well be correct (remembering Pomona Sprout and others). The Tom Marvolo Riddle name will have been back formed from Voldemort (with I am Lord in front). Feb 09 09, 4:10 PM

zbeckabee

Lydon: What about names themselves? Muggles, to begin, but the whole catalogue of - er - wizards: Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort - er - Hagrid. JKR: I'm big on names - I like names, generally. You have to be really careful giving me your name if it's an unusual one, because you will turn up in book six. Erm - I - I collect - some of them are invented; Voldemort is an invented name, Malfoy is an invented name, Quidditch is invented, erm - but I also collect them, from all kinds of places: maps, street names, people I meet, old books, old saints, erm - Mrs Norris, people will have recognised, comes from Jane Austen. Erm - Dumbledore is an old English word meaning bumblebee. Because Albus Dumbledore is very fond of music, I always imagined him as sort of humming to himself a lot. http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/1999/1099-connectiontransc2.htm#p9 Feb 09 09, 4:28 PM

flem-ish

To me, Voldemort always has sounded like Germanic Valdemar or Waldemar "in disguise", but I am surprised to read in this website there might also be an echo of Edgar Allen Poe. http://www.plexoft.com/SBF/V02.html Strictly speaking "Voldemort" has no meaning in French as that combination does not occur in the dictionary. It can only be a literary invention, not even a neologism. The meanings of "vol" are obvious :flight or robbery. The old French for "vouloir" is voleir. As far as I know the conjugated form in first person was "veulx" ou "veuil", rather than "vol". Third person "veult" as in "Dieu le veult". But no "vol". http://www.jstor.org/pss/2917607 Feb 27 09, 12:28 PM

Baloo55th

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vol-au-vent Don't forget those delicious (when not containing oniony stuff) little flaky things at buffets and so on. (Creamy chopped mushrooms - yum!) French : vol, flight + au, with the + vent, wind. For an evil antithesis, vol-de-mort... He would leave the hyphens out, of course. Feb 27 09, 2:38 PM