How to Pronounce Peau dOrange
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Peau dOrange Pronunciation
poh doh-RANZH
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
poh doh
RANZH
stress here
2 syllables
What is Peau dOrange?
A French term meaning skin of an orange, describing the dimpled, puckered skin texture of the breast caused by lymphatic obstruction (from inflammatory breast cancer or lymphedema), which pulls down the skin at sweat gland and hair follicle openings.
Questions About Peau dOrange
How do you pronounce 'peau d'orange'?
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Say it like this: **poh doh-RANZH**. The first part rhymes with "go," the second part sounds like "duh," and the last part rhymes with "orange" but with a soft French 'zh' sound at the end instead of a hard 'j'.
Which syllable gets the stress in 'peau d'orange'?
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The stress falls on the last syllable: poh doh-**RANZH**. Many English speakers accidentally stress the first syllable (POH doh-ranzh), but the French pronunciation emphasizes the final word.
How do you break 'peau d'orange' into syllables?
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It breaks into three syllables: **poh** / **doh** / **RANZH**. Each part is separate, which makes it easier to say the whole phrase smoothly.
What does 'peau d'orange' actually mean in English?
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It's a French phrase that literally means "skin of an orange." Medical professionals use this poetic description because it compares the dimpled, bumpy skin texture to the bumpy surface of an orange peel.
Why is a French term used in medical English?
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French medical terms became common in English because French physicians made many important discoveries in medicine during the 1800s and early 1900s. This particular term stuck around because it so perfectly describes the visual appearance doctors see.
What's a common mispronunciation of this term?
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A frequent mistake is saying **POH doh-or-ANZH** (stressing the first syllable and pronouncing the ending like "or-anj"). The correct way stresses the end and uses a soft 'zh' sound: **poh doh-RANZH**.
Can you use 'peau d'orange' in a sentence?
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Here's an example: "The radiologist documented the peau d'orange appearance on the patient's skin in the imaging report." This shows how doctors might reference the term when describing or discussing what they observe.
Is there a shorter way to say 'peau d'orange'?
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Not really—there's no standard abbreviation for this term. Medical professionals say the full phrase "peau d'orange" or sometimes just call it "orange peel skin" in plain English, though the French term is more precise.