AB - Agriculture Biologique - the AB label is a French certification for organic food products. The word "bio" or "biologique" are the French words for "organic", in the food and agricultural meaning of the word..

Académie : Word most commonly used to refer to the Local Education authority in a French region, as in "L'Académie de Dijon", which is the Local Education authority for the Burgundy area. The director of an Académie is a senior civil servant known as the Rector (le Recteur). 

Académie Française. The French Academy is an academy of letters, whose main function is to monitor and prescribe the development of the French language. It was founded in  1635 during the reign of King Louis XIII. It is a self-perpetuating Academy, with forty members, known as "les Imortelles". Academicians are elected for life by the other Academicians.  

Acte de vente  The official document, signed by all parties concerned, attesting the sale of a property.

Action directe: Left wing urban guerilla organisation responsible between 1979 and 1987 for a campaign of bombings and assassinations, including that of the former Renault boss Georges Besse; allied for a period with Germany's Red Army Faction.

ADSL - (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) : the expression generally used in France to describe a broadband Internet connection or service.

AFP - Agence France Presse: The main French press agency (like Reuter's in the UK or AP in the USA), providing raw news and information to the press and broadcast media in France and worldwide.  AFP is the world's oldest established news agency, founded in 1835 by Charles-Louis Havas, the father of global journalism

Air France. The French national airline, which merged with KLM in  2007.  The main operator of domestic flights in France, and one of the world's biggest international airlines.

Alpes. The Alps, France's and Europe's highest mountain range. The summit of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, is situated on the French-Italian border. The French Alps spread over two regions, Rhone Alpes in the north, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in the south.

Alsace. the most easterly  region of France, lying between the Vosges mountains and the Rhine, capital Strasbourg. Many of the inhabitants of this region are bilingual, speaking both French and Alsatian, a dialect of German. See the Alsace guide page

Alsace, vins d'. Alsace wines, mostly white. See the Guide to French Wines and Wine regions.

Amoco Cadiz  Supertanker that ran onto rocks off the Breton coast in 1978, causing one of the world's major oil spillages. 1.6 million barrels of oil spilled into the ocean, and a lot of it ended up on the Breton coast.

Amuse-gueule : more formally known as Mise en bouche : appetizer, small savoury pastry or delicacy presented usually with an apéritif or a pre-meal drink.

ANPE Agence Nationale Pour l'Emploi - the French equivalent of UK Jobcentres. Publicly run employment offices.

Antenne 2  the former name of what is now known as France 2, the main public television channel in France.

Appel du 18 Juin - the most famous wartime speech made by General de Gaulle on 18 June 1940, calling all Frenchmen to arms in defence against the Nazi invader. The speech was given from London, on the airwaves of the BBC, and was widely printed and circulated in France from the next day onwards. It is generally considered to be the founding speech of the French Resistance movement.

Appellation contrôlée (or AOC)… Quality label used to given to certain types of food or drink (notably wines and cheeses) that come from a specific geographic area, and are produced according to specific quality and quantity criteria

Aquitaine  The south west region of France, capital Bordeaux.

Arc de Triomphe:  The great triumphal arch located in Paris, at la Place de l'Etoile, the top end of the Champs Elysées, between the Louvre and la Défense. The arch was commissioned by Napoléon in 1806

Arc de Triomphe, Prix de l'  the "Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe" is one of the four great events in the French horse racing calendar. It is a 2400 metre flat race, run each year at the racecourse at Longchamp, just outside Paris, on the first Sunday in October.

Argus, L' : Famous French car magazine, listing the resale prices of used cars. The "côte de l'argus" is used as a benchmark when buying or selling a used vehicle.

Arrondissement. The word used to define the administrative districts of the major French cities, notably Paris, Lyon and Marseilles. The city of Paris (that is Paris within the limits of the old walls and the modern boulevard périphérique) is divided into 20 arrondissements, numbered clockwise and in concentric circles from the centre. Probably the two most famous arondissements are the fifth, containing the Latin quarter and the Sorbonne, and the sixteenth, the most affluent district of central Paris. Each arrondissement has its local council and its mayor, as well as its town hall or hotel de ville.

Assas  Name popularly used to refer to the University of Paris II. Paris II was created in 1968, when the big University of Paris was broken down into constituent elements. Assas is principally renowned as France's main  law school, though it also offers courses in business, politics and economics. Its students have a reputation of being rather conservative. 

Assemblée Nationale. The principal French legislative assembly, also referred to as the Chambre des Députés. The Assembly is made up of 577 deputés, members of parliament who are elected by direct universal suffrage during legislative elections that take place every five years. In the event of disagreement between the National Assembly and the Senate, it is the opinion of the Assembly that takes precedence.

Assermenté (adj.) : literally sworn in. Adjective describing an official or individual who has taken an oath of office, or been sworn in. Foreigners in France may sometimes need to provide certified translations of official documents from their country of origin. These must be translated into French by a state recognised translator, who has been sworn in as a translator, and is known as a traducteur assermenté.

Association loi 1901  The official French definition of a duly constituted and registered non-profit organisation, as specified by a law on non-profit associations passed in 1901.

Astérix  No doubt the most famous French cartoon character,  first created in 1959 by  writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo. Asterix  first appeared in the French comic Pilote, and the first of the famous albums came out in 1961. Over 30 albums have been published, and several films made; Asterix books have been translated into over 100 languages, including Latin and Ancient Greek.

Astérix, Parc. Amusement park north of Paris, devoted to the cartoon character Astérix and his friends.

Auchan  One of the main French hypermarket chains, owned by the Mulliez family.  

Austerlitz, Gare d'. The principal Paris railway terminus serving routes to the south west, a segment stretching from Toulouse to the Loire Valley. A significant proportion of long distance express traffic was removed from the Gare d'Austerlitz from 1989 onwards, following the opening of the south western TGV line, that terminates at Gare Montparnasse.  Austerlitz is the name of one of the famous military victories of Napoleon, in 1805.

Auvergne  A region in the centre of southern France, capital Clermont Ferrand. Further information

Avignon, Festival d'.  The most important theatre festival in France, founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar. Like the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, the official Avignon Festival, which takes place each year in July,  is now surpassed in size by its Fringe, known as the "Off".

Avoriaz, Festival de film d'  Annual cinema festival, focusing on the Fantastic, which took place at Avoriaz, in the French alps, from  1973 to 1993.