Not to be confused with a free thinker. A believer is a bird in a cage, a Freethinker is an eagle parting the clouds with tireless wing -- Robert Green Ingersoll (1833 - 1899) by JoeBloggs April 10, 2005
Confidence votes 319K. The French to English translation for the word 'detente' is 'relaxation'. The word can also mean lessening, thaw, or trigger. There is also a detente in Spanish, which can mean detain, arrest, or restrain.
This is a bit late, but I was actually looking for the French translation of the American English word to rappel. As Dearprudence highlighted, this is an American English word that conveys descending a vertical mountain face with a rope fixed at a higher point. descendre en rappel = to rappel.