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What does “édile” mean in French?

“Édile” is the elevated, journalistic word for an elected local official — usually the mayor or a town councillor. French news writers reach for it to avoid repeating “maire,” sometimes with a faint touch of irony. It carries a whiff of grandeur because it comes directly from the “aediles” of ancient Rome, the magistrates who ran the city’s streets, buildings and public order — a neat link between a Roman office and a modern town hall.

You’ll meet it in headlines like “l’édile de la commune” (the town’s mayor) or “le premier édile” (a formal way to say “the mayor”). It descends from Latin “aedilis,” from “aedes” (a building or temple), since the aediles oversaw public buildings. One usage warning: avoid “édile municipal” — it’s a pleonasm, because an édile is already by definition a municipal figure.