élan

concept
8 mentions 1 recordings first heard Aug 2026 last heard 4 Aug ±0 this week

French loanword meaning enthusiastic energy and animation

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Peter SokolowskiMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day · élan · 1:23 · 4 Aug
…We copied élan in form from the French, but we dispensed with the French sense of a literal rush or dash, retaining the sense of enthusiastic animation…
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Peter SokolowskiMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day · élan · 1:05 · 4 Aug
…Elance enjoyed only a short flight in English, falling into disuse by the mid-1800s, around which time English speakers picked up élan, another French word that traces back via the Middle French noun élan, meaning to rush, to élancer.…
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Peter SokolowskiMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day · élan · 0:58 · 4 Aug
…Élance came from the Middle French s'élancer, meaning to rush, that is, to hurl oneself forth.…
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Peter SokolowskiMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day · élan · 0:49 · 4 Aug
…We had, however, the verb élance, meaning to throw, which……
Peter SokolowskiMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day · élan · 0:38 · 4 Aug
…Once upon a time, back in the early 1700s, English……
Peter SokolowskiMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day · élan · 0:29 · 4 Aug
…Carrying the production with the élan of a cheerful college……
Peter SokolowskiMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day · élan · 0:21 · 4 Aug
…on the letter E. Élan refers to energy and enthusiasm.…
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