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Definition of penchant - 6 dictionary results

pen⋅chant

  [pen-chuhnt; Fr. pahn-shahn]
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–noun
a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something: a penchant for outdoor sports.
Origin:
1665–75; < F, n. use of prp. of pencher to incline, lean < VL *pendicāre, deriv. of L pendēre to hang
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pen·chant   (pěn'chənt)   
n.  A definite liking; a strong inclination. See Synonyms at predilection.

[French, from present participle of pencher, to incline, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *pendicāre, from Latin pendēre, to hang; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Penchant

Pen`chant"\, n. (Card Playing) A game like b['e]zique, or, in the game, any queen and jack of different suits held together.

Penchant

Pen`chant"\, n. [F., fr. pencher to bend, fr. (assumed) LL. pendicare, L. pendere. See Pendant.] Inclination; decided taste; bias; as, a penchant for art.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : penchant
Spanish: inclinación, propensión; ganas de,
German: die Neigung,
Japanese: 性向
More Translations »

penchant 
1672, from Fr. penchant, properly the prp. of O.Fr. pencher "to incline," from V.L. *pendicare, a frequentative formed from L. pendere "to hang" (see pendant).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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penchant

see have a penchant for.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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