gâteau, n.m., cake; honey-comb; (surg.) pledget. — des rois; Twelfth-night cake. — de miel; honey-comb. Avoir part au —; to share in the booty, to have a finger in the pie. Partager le —; to go halves.
gâte-enfants, n.m.f., (—) spoiler of children.
gâte-maison, n.m.f., too good a servant.
gâte-métier, n.m.f., (—, or —-—s) person who spoils a trade; underseller.
gâte-papier, n.m.f., (—) scribbler, paltry writer.
gâte-pâte, n.m.f., (—) bad pastry-cook, bad baker; (fig.) bungler, botcher.
gâter, v.a., to spoil, to damage, to hurt, to injure, to impair, to mar; to taint, to corrupt, to deprave, to make worse. La grêle a gâté les vignes; the hail has damaged the vines. Le soleil gâte la viande; the sun taints meat. — du papier; to waste or blot paper, to scribble.
se gâter, v.r., to taint, to spoil; to be spoiled, to become corrupt; to break up (of weather). Ce vin commence à se —; that wine is beginning to spoil. Le temps se gâte; the weather is breaking up.
gâterie (gâ-trî), n.f., excessive humoring; foolish indulgence.