This week's theme
Words from fencing

This week's words
foible
forte
elan
riposte
touché

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(ay-LAHN^*)

MEANING:

noun: A combination of energy, enthusiasm, and style.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French élan (enthusiasm), from élancer (to dart), from lancer (to throw), from Latin lancea (lance). Earliest documented use: 1880.

USAGE:

"'Margaret Whitlam was seldom afraid to speak her mind and she spoke it with elan and wit,' John Robertson said."
Labor Party Forever Indebted to Margaret Whitlam; AAP (Australia); Mar 17, 2012.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: