Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

penchant

[pen-chuhnt; Fr. pahn-shahn]

noun

a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something: a penchant for outdoor sports.

Origin:
1665–75; < French, noun use of present participle of pencher to incline, lean < Vulgar Latin *pendicāre, derivative of Latin pendēre to hang

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To penchant

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Penchant is a GRE word you need to know.

So is mordant. Does it mean:

biting

concise and forceful in description

LEARN MORE GRE WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

Interdisciplinary programs with an increasing penchant for making humanities more 'applicable' might favor someone like you.

Fortunately, American policy has a genetic penchant for activism.

Her penchant for low-tech solo travel hearkens to an earlier era of exploration.

EXPAND

Collins

World English Dictionary

penchant (ˈpɒŋʃɒŋ)

—n
	a strong inclination or liking; bent or taste

[C17: from French, from pencher to incline, from Latin pendēre to be suspended]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

penchant

see have a penchant for.