Take the 2-minute tour ×

What does "vu et archirevu" mean? I'm guessing it's something like "seen and seen over" or "been there, done that" but I cannot find "archirevu" in any dictionary. Here's an example:

L'Italie et ses beautés, vu et archirevu.

Source: Le Point – Publié le 16/06/2011 à 10:25

share|improve this question

2 Answers 2

up vote 8 down vote accepted

archi- is a prefix used to indicate something pushed to its limits, going further the usual meaning.

Its use is rather colloquial today, but it still remains in some words, mainly in religious/noble titles : archevêque (archbishop), archiduc (archduke), archiprêtre (archpriest)...

In your context, archirevu would mean exactly what you guessed, seen again and again. Some other common colloquial uses are archicomble / archiplein (meaning a place is full over the top), archifaux (something totally wrong), archiconnu (extremely well-known)

share|improve this answer
I would add that “vu et revu” is somewhat idiomatic (meaning “seen many times”). “vu et archirevu” is an intensifier on that. –  Gilles Sep 19 '12 at 19:49

It is a repetition. It means "again and again". Your sentence could be translated like this :

Italy and all its beauties, seen again and again.

Moreover it is normal that you do not find "archirevu" because it is not one word but two. It is not "archirevu" (which does not exist in French) but "archi revu".

share|improve this answer

Your Answer


