What does menage mean?
A ménage is a household or family regarded as a single domestic and social unit. The word can also refer to a married couple or the intimate domestic life associated with one. Its best-known use is in the French-derived expression ménage à trois, meaning an arrangement in which two established partners involve a third person in a sexual or romantic relationship. Although the term is still widely recognized, it can sound playful or old-fashioned outside that expression, while the older sense of “household” is formal and relatively uncommon. The word is normally written ménage in English, though menage without the accent is also accepted. It belongs primarily to British and American usage and is chiefly literary, sociological, or descriptive rather than part of everyday neutral vocabulary.
nounA household or family unit, especially one considered as a domestic and social whole. By extension, the word may denote a married couple or refer to the familiar domestic sphere.
- A household or family unit, especially as a domestic and social whole.
- A married couple or the domestic relationship formed by a couple.
- A sexual or romantic arrangement involving two established partners and a third participant, as in ménage à trois.
"The magazine offered advice for managing the household and caring for the family."
"Every member of the ménage contributed to the daily work of running the household."
"The novel portrays an unconventional ménage à trois complicated by jealousy and social pressure."
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon in modern English; ménage is most often encountered in the singular or in the fixed expression ménage à trois.
"Several ménages occupied the adjoining houses on the narrow street."
The famous French phrase ménage à trois literally refers to a household of three—and its accent marks the word as a French loan rather than an ordinary English spelling.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does menage come from?
English ménage comes from French ménage, meaning “household” or “family,” which developed from Vulgar Latin forms of Latin mansio, meaning “dwelling” or “estate.” That Latin word is related to manere, “to remain” or “to stay.” English cognates include mansion, manse, and manor, all of which reflect the same broad Latin history of a dwelling or residence.
How menage is actually used
The French accent is standard in careful writing, although the unaccented spelling menage is also used. The phrase ménage à trois is more common than the word's older household sense in modern general use.
Easily confused with menage
A ménage is a household or domestic unit, whereas to manage means to handle, organize, or supervise something.