Note: Each word in French has a gender, it is either masculin (un) or feminin (une). 'Un' and 'une' both mean: a or an.

A
Accordeon (un):
An accordion or 'squeeze box', usually with buttons and piano keys. It often represents the essence of French music in films, specially with photographs of Paris in the background.

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B
Beret (un)
A flat hat made of soft fabric like wool felt. This is typically used in 
caricatures of Parisians, along with the French baguette under the arm, the garlic hanging from the bicycle and the bottle of red wine.
The beret has been used for a long time by French shepherds  as it must have kept them warm in the mountains , they had enough  wool and time to make them. The beret started to be used more widely in France after the second world war.

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C
Calendrier (un): A calendar. Each day of the year has a Saint attached to it. For example: 27th July is Ste Nathalie, so on that day, it would be 'LA FETE DES NATHALIE' and ladies thus named would receive cards with good wishes or be greeted with 'Bonne fete Nathalie'.

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D
Demoiselle (une):
An unmarried lady, when you address one directly, you call such a lady: Mademoiselle (Miss). 

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E
Escargot (un):
A snail, like here, French people have them in the garden!

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F
Fete (une):
It is a party and also our national day: La Fete Nationale (14th July). It is used for special days, like Christmas and New Year when people say and write: Bonnes Fetes (Season's Greetings).

G
Guinguette (une):
Cafe-bar where working class people could go to dance and enjoy themselves after a week of hard work, usually situated alongside  a river and on the outskirts of a town. The music played would usually count an accordion and be cheerful, to help the workers forget their hardship. 

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H
Haricot vert (un):
What is called French bean. 

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I
Impermeable (un):
Called 'un imper' for short, it is a rain coat; the term itself means
waterproof and the style is usually what detective Columbo wears in the TV series. (made of soft fabric)

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J
Java (une):
Type of music and dance usually found at the 'bals musettes' at the start of the 20th Century.  Kind of jerky waltz, usually played by an accordion, 'faire la java' means to have a noisy party and enjoy oneself a lot.

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K
Words starting with K are foreign in origin.
Kermesse (une):
A gala, 'la kermesse de l'ecole' (the school gala).

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L
Lampion (un):
A little lantern linked to others, they are used for galas or festivals and are hung in the garden or in the streets to give 'un air de fete'. 
(see fete above).

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M
Mimosa (le) same as 'un':
Mimosa, little tree with small yellow fragrant flowers shaped like little balls. This plant of tropical origin grows in huge numbers in the South East of France, some places take their names from it: Bormes-Les-Mimosas. 

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N
Navire (un):
A large ship built for the high seas.

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O
Ours (un):
A bear; they are being reintroduced in the mountain regions of  France, in particular  The Pyrennees. 

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P
Pain (un):
General term for bread; you can buy 'un pain de campagne': a rustic bread usually circular and large, you can buy 'un pain complet': a wholemeal/brown bread or 'une baguette ' thinner than the usual French stick. There are of course many more types of bread...

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Q
Quartier (un):
A close neighbourhood. Paris is officially divided into 20 'arrondissements' and also into quartiers, for exemple: Le Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) encompassing the large boulevards and streets on the left bank of Notre Dame Cathedral (part of the 5th and 6th arrondissements). It is also a part of a town with certain caracteristics, for exemple, you would have the working class side called: 'le quartier ouvrier'.

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R
Radis (un):
Radish; French people eat them more often than here. It is usually used as a starter (une entree) and enjoyed with fresh bread, plenty of butter and a pinch of salt.

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S
Saucisse (une):
A sausage; in France there are many kinds of sausages, each region producing a specific type.

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T
Tour (une):
A tower; La Tour Eiffel was built by Gustave Eiffel for L'Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889 and was supposed to be dismantled at the end of the Universal Exhibition!

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U
Uniforme (un):
A uniform; it isn't worn in public schools at all but it is in the private sector.

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V
Volet (un):
A shutter; French houses all have shutters for security and insulation purposes as well as esthetic reasons of course.

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W
No French words starting with this letter, we use foreign words, for exemple: un wagon, le week-end.

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X
Very few French words start with X, they usually come from a Greek root such as Xeno, we have 'xenophile': who likes foreigners and the opposite: 'xenohobe'.

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Y
Very few French words starting with this letter.
Yeux (les)(the singular is: un oeil), meaning eyes.

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Z
Very few French words starting with this letter.
Zinzin: adjective meaning weird, coo-coo, it is used amongst friends and is a colloquial term.

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A friend, sending me a dictionary for my Birthday wrote:
'A dictionary, 
it's the most important book of our life,
It represents our language, our cultural identity and our country'.

This is certainly the way most French people regard their language, it is not merely a tool used to speak, French makes us what we are; this is why French people feel very protective of the French language.