Flines-lès-Mortagne (Nord, Fr) city limit sign

The word ''lès'' (, and with liaison) is an archaic

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

preposition meaning "near", "next to". Today it occurs only in place names to distinguish places of the same name. The word ''lès'' has two variants: ''lez'' and ''les''. The latter should not be confused with the plural

definite article An article is any member of a class of dedicated words that are used with noun phrases to mark the identifiability of the referents of the noun phrases. The category of articles constitutes a part of speech. In English, both "the" and "a(n)" ...

''les'' (e.g. ''les-Bains'', "the Baths").

Etymology

The word ''lès'' and its variants derive from

late Latin Late Latin ( la, Latinitas serior) is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the , and continuing into the 7th century in the ...

''latus'', "side".

Examples

Lès

Villeneuve-lès-Avignon Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (; Provençal: ''Vilanòva d’Avinhon'') is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It can also be spelled ''Villeneuve-lez-Avignon''. History In the 6th century the Benedictine abbey of St André was foun ...

, near

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune ha ...

* Beaumont-lès-Valence, near

Valence Valence or valency may refer to: Science * Valence (chemistry), a measure of an element's combining power with other atoms * Degree (graph theory), also called the valency of a vertex in graph theory * Valency (linguistics), aspect of verbs rel ...

* Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, near Chevreuse * Margny-lès-Compiègne, near

Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with 19 ...

* Asnières-lès-Dijon, near

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earl ...

* Fontaine-lès-Dijon, near

Hauteville-lès-Dijon Hauteville-lès-Dijon (, literally ''Hauteville near Dijon'') is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côt ...

, near

* Neuilly-lès-Dijon, near

* Perrigny-lès-Dijon, near

* Plombières-lès-Dijon, near

* Sennecey-lès-Dijon, near

* Garges-lès-Gonesse, near

Gonesse Gonesse () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department, in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The commune lies immediately north of Le Bourget Airport, and it is six kilometres (four miles) south- ...

* Bonchamp-lès-Laval, near Laval * Fontaine-lès-Luxeuil, near Luxeuil-les-Bains *

Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon (, literally ''Sainte-Foy near Lyon'') is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Geography It is a suburb of the city of Lyon, located to the west of the city. It is loc ...

, near

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

* Montigny-lès-Metz, near

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est ...

Saint-Julien-lès-Metz Saint-Julien-lès-Metz (, literally ''Saint-Julien near Metz''; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Population See also * Communes of the Moselle department The following is a list of the 725 com ...

, near

Flines-lès-Mortagne Flines-lès-Mortagne (, literally ''Flines near Mortagne'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the ...

, near

Mortagne-du-Nord Mortagne-du-Nord () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It lies on the border with Belgium, on the river Scheldt. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nor ...

Essey-lès-Nancy Essey-lès-Nancy (, literally ''Essey near Nancy'') is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Population See also * Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department The following is a list of the 591 communes ...

, near Nancy * Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, near Nancy *

Saulxures-lès-Nancy Saulxures-lès-Nancy (, literally ''Saulxures near Nancy'') is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France, located east of Nancy. The Château de Saulxures de Nancy dates from the reign of Louis XV, and was built c17 ...

, near Nancy * Villers-lès-Nancy, near Nancy *

Déville-lès-Rouen Déville-lès-Rouen (, literally ''Déville near Rouen'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department of the Normandy region in north-western France. Geography A suburban light industrial town situated by the banks of the Cailly, some n ...

, near

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...

* Sotteville-lès-Rouen, near

* Nieul-lès-Saintes, near Saintes * Chambray-lès-Tours, near

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metr ...

* Joué-lès-Tours, near

* Saint-Martin-lès-Seyne, near Seyne * Bourg-lès-Valence, near

* Béning-lès-Saint-Avold, near

Saint-Avold Saint-Avold (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Sänt Avuur'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated twenty-eight miles (45 km) east of Metz, France and seventeen miles (27 km) southwest ...

* Savigny-lès-Beaune, near

Beaune Beaune () is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The annu ...

* …

Lez

* Auchy-lez-Orchies, near Orchies *

Aulnoy-lez-Valenciennes Aulnoy-lez-Valenciennes (, literally ''Aulnoy near Valenciennes''; pcd, Auno) is a commune in the Nord department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Go ...

, near

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

Bougy-lez-Neuville Bougy-lez-Neuville () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Loiret department The following is the list of the 325 communes of the Loiret department of France. The communes coop ...

, near Neuville-aux-Bois * Bruille-lez-Marchiennes, near

Marchiennes Marchiennes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It was fictionally portrayed in Émile Zola's Germinal. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord depar ...

* Flines-lez-Raches, near

Râches Râches () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes co ...

Hallennes-lez-Haubourdin Hallennes-lez-Haubourdin (, literally ''Hallennes near Haubourdin'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is ...

, near Haubourdin *

Houdain-lez-Bavay Houdain-lez-Bavay (, literally ''Houdain near Bavay'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the Fre ...

, near Bavay *

Lambres-lez-Douai Lambres-lez-Douai (, literally ''Lambres near Douai'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord departm ...

, near

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Do ...

Lys-lez-Lannoy Lys-lez-Lannoy (, literally ''Lys near Lannoy''; West Flemish: ''Lis by Lannoy'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord de ...

, near Lannoy * Marquette-lez-Lille, near

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord ...

Mézières-lez-Cléry Mézières-lez-Cléry (, literally ''Mézières near Cléry'') is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Loiret department The following is the list of the 325 communes of the Loiret department o ...

, near Cléry * Nissan-lez-Enserune, near Enserune *

Poilly-lez-Gien Poilly-lez-Gien (, literally ''Poilly near Gien'') is a commune in the Loiret department, located in north-central France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also compr ...

, near

Gien Gien () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. Gien is on the river Loire, from Orléans. Gien station has rail connections to Montargis, Nevers and Paris. The town was bought for the royal domain by Philip II of Fra ...

* Sailly-lez-Cambrai, near

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Esca ...

Sailly-lez-Lannoy Sailly-lez-Lannoy (, literally ''Sailly near Lannoy''; nl, Zelleken) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The followin ...

, near Lannoy * Saint-André-lez-Lille, near

* Saint-Hilaire-lez-Cambrai, near

* Tilloy-lez-Cambrai, near

* Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes, near

Villy-lez-Falaise Villy-lez-Falaise (, literally ''Villy near Falaise'') is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados department The following is a list of the 528 c ...

, near Falaise * …

Les

* Avesnes-les-Aubert, near Aubert * Châteauneuf-les-Martigues, near Martigues * Chorey-les-Beaune, near

La Queue-les-Yvelines La Queue-les-Yvelines (official spelling) (written as ''La Queue-lez-Yvelines'' by municipality) () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. People *Louise de Maisonblanche, Baroness of La Qu ...

, near (the historical region of)

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Villars-les-Dombes, near Dombes

References

{{Reflist Toponymy