7002 guêpe wasp. Cognate with wasp if traced to Proto-Germanic. As usual, the diacritic mark of ê hides an omitted s so change ê to es. Gu- is from w-. This w- > -gu change also occurred in the formation of gâcher (“to ruin”), gâter (“to spoil (a child)”), which are cognate with waste, and is the reason behind the English doublets warranty and guaranty. Examples, une guêpe est différente d’une abeille (“a wasp is different from a bee”); taille de guêpe (“wasp waist”).

7011 pioche pickaxe. From pic (“pick”) + -oche (suffix). English pick (tool) is not cognate with French pic but serves as a perfect mnemonic. Suffix -oche for a noun is not common; other words include brioche, sacoche (“satchel”), galoche (“galosh”). Auguste Brachet considered it a diminutive. In analyzing the word, split pioche between i and o, not o and c.

7012 ornière rut (groove in a road formed by the wheels of vehicles); habit or pattern of behavior. Cognate with orbit (whose Latin etymon means “track”). Due to the unusual change of the second syllable consonant, b > n, this etymology may not be helpful. As a mnemonic, think of the ruts on the road as ornamental art. Or think of a habit of bahavior as ordinary. Example, retomber dans l’ornière (“to fall back into the old habit”).

7017 hirondelle swallow (bird). This word is familiar to those specialized in taxonomy: Hirundinidae as a family and sub-family, Hirundo as a genus, which includes the species Hirundo rustica, commonly known as barn swallow. For others, try using heron of a dale (“valley”) as a mnemonic; the heron is also a bird. If you happen to know rondelle (“washer”, a flat round plate with a hole for a bolt), imagine a swallow saying “Hi, Washer!”7029 échafaudage scaffolding, scaffold (cognate). Change é- to s- and cha to ca to see the cognation. Note the suffix -age. Without it, échafaud, a much less frequent word, refers to the scaffold where a criminal is executed, not that you see at construction sites. Example, démonter l’échafaudage (“to dismantle the scaffolding”).

7035 émail enamel (cognate). English enamel is from en- + a later development of Old French esmal (“enamel”). Also cognate with smelt, whose relation to émail is easier to see if you change é- to s-. This word, in which é is read /e/, is an obvious false friend of English email, which in French is email (e is read /i:/), e-mail or courrier électronique. Diacritical marks in many French words are essential; this word is one salient example. It has its verb émailler (“to coat with enamel), and the plural of the noun is émaux. Example, émail dentaire (“dental / tooth enamel”).

7038 minet kitty, pussy cat, minou. Unknown origin. Possibly from Latin minimus (“least”), with diminutive suffix -et.

7041 fantasme (often sexual) fantasy. Note that a fantasy without a sexual connotation (just imagination, whim) is fantaisie. If you must use a mnemonic to help remember which is which, note that fantasme contains both f (for female) and m (for male).