Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

volte-face

 - 3 dictionary results

volte-face

  [volt-fahs, vohlt-; Fr. vawltuh-fas]
Use volte-face in a Sentence
–noun, plural volte-face.
a turnabout, esp. a reversal of opinion or policy.
Origin:
1810–20; < F < It voltafaccia, equiv. to volta turn (see volt 2 ) + faccia face
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To volte-face
volte-face   (vôlt-fäs', vôl'tə-)   
n.  A reversal, as in policy; an about-face.

[French, from Italian voltafaccia : volta (from voltare, to turn; see vault2) + faccia, face (from Vulgar Latin *facia; see face).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

volte-face 
a reversal of opinion, 1819, from Fr., from It. volta faccia, lit. "turn face," from volta, imper. of voltare "to turn" (from V.L. *volvita, from L. volvere "to roll;" see vulva) + faccia (see face).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see volte-face on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way