UsageHistorically and in careful literary register, baiser simply meant 'to kiss' — the sense behind Rodin's sculpture and Doisneau's photograph, both titled Le Baiser. In contemporary spoken French, however, the verb has shifted to vulgar slang for having sex (and, colloquially, for cheating or ripping someone off). Learners should use embrasser for 'to kiss' in essentially all modern contexts.
Examples- Autrefois, on baisait la main d'une dame en signe de courtoisie. — In the past, people kissed a lady's hand as a sign of courtesy.
- En français moderne, embrasser a remplacé baiser dans le sens de « donner un baiser ». — In modern French, embrasser has replaced baiser in the sense of 'to give a kiss.'
- Attention : dans un registre familier, baiser a pris un sens vulgaire. — Careful: in casual register, baiser has taken on a vulgar meaning.
Common mistakeThis is one of the most notorious false-friend traps for English speakers: baiser looks like a safe, literal translation of 'to kiss,' but in contemporary spoken French it's vulgar slang and can also mean 'to con/rip off' someone. Always use embrasser for 'to kiss' — reserve baiser for its literary/historical sense only.
Often confused with embrasser.
In real life- expression Le Baiser — Auguste Rodin's 1882 marble sculpture, originally titled Francesca da Rimini and renamed Le Baiser ('The Kiss') after its 1887 unveiling — one of the most famous sculptures in the world, now at the Musée Rodin.
- expression Le Baiser de l'Hôtel de Ville — Robert Doisneau's 1950 black-and-white photograph of a couple kissing near the Paris city hall, published in Life magazine — a defining image of Paris as 'the city of love.'