noun
dash; impetuous ardor: to dance with great élan.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To élan
Collins
World English Dictionary
élan (eɪˈlɑːn, eɪˈlæn, French elɑ̃) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| a combination of style and vigour: he performed the concerto with élan | |
| [C19: from French, from élancer to throw forth, ultimately from Latin lancea | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
élan
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
elan
1877, from Fr. élan (16c.), noun derived from élancer "to rush, dart," from O.Fr. elancer, from e- "out" + lancer "to throw a lance," from L.L. lanceare, from L. lancea "lance."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Informational panels tackle topics such as reproduction and conservation with elan.
He made it his business to know all the celebrities and collectors by name, and he handled crowds with the elan of a diplomat.
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