PÉTANQUE Meaning of PÉTANQUE in English [ pə'taŋk ]■ noun a game similar to boule played chiefly in Provence.OriginFr., from Provençal pèd tanco , lit. 'foot fixed (to the ground)', describing the start position. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004