Word of the Day

Tuesday, December 21, 1999

bonhomie

\bah-nuh-MEE\ , noun;

Good nature; pleasant and easy manner.

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Quotes:

That bonhomie which won the hearts of all who knew him.

-- Washington Irving, Oliver Goldsmith

And what of the salesman's fabled bonhomie, the Willy Lomanesque emphasis on the importance of being liked?

-- "How to Manage Salespeople", Fortune, March 14, 1988

I would carefully study the exploits of positiverole models like Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Carter, and Alec Baldwin, and attempt to emulate their radiant bonhomie.

-- Joe Queenan, My Goodness: A Cynic's Short-Lived Search for Sainthood

Origin:

Bonhomie comes from French, from bonhomme, "good-natured man," from bon, "good" (from Latin bonus) + homme, "man" (from Latin homo).