What are Mitaines?
In Québec, the word mitaines refers to a type of glove that covers only the first phalanges of the fingers, leaving the fingertips exposed. It is synonymous with the term moufles, which is used in international French to describe mittens. Incidentally, the English mittens comes from the French mitaines. To translate the modern international French meaning of mitaines, English would use fingerless gloves.
Usage and Gender
The term mitaine is feminine in gender, as indicated by the article “la” (la mitaine). Québécois are unlikely to use any other term to describe this item of clothing. In Québec, this word is also often used in various contexts, including sports, where it can refer to a baseball glove or a hockey goalie glove.
Additionally, the phrase <strong>faire quelque chose à la mitaine</strong> translates to <em>to do something by hand</em> (instead of using automation). In Québec, <strong>mitaine</strong> can also carry a pejorative connotation, describing someone as soft or lacking character (= a spineless person), which is not a common usage in France.
Examples of Mitaines in Context
- Elle a mis ses mitaines avant de sortir dans le froid.
- She put on her mitts before going out into the cold.
- Il a attrapé la balle avec sa mitaine de baseball.
- He caught the ball with his baseball mitt.
The Origin of Mitaines
The word mitaine is described as dated or regional in modern French dictionaries such as Dictionnaire de l’Académie française. Swiss francophones also share this word with Québécois. It was used by French author André Gide: Ses doigts restent collés comme dans une mitaine
(His fingers remain stuck together like in a mitt).