Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ



May 30, 2012
This week's theme
Insults

This week's words
flagitious
thewless
flaneur
prima donna
cunctator

Many ways to read AWAD
o Email
o Web
o Twitter
o RSS feed
o On your own website
Discuss
Feedback
RSS/XML
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

flaneur

PRONUNCIATION:
(flah-NUHR)

MEANING:
noun: An idler or loafer; a man about town.

ETYMOLOGY:
From French flâneur (stroller, idler), from flâner (to stroll). Earliest documented use: 1854.

USAGE:
"In Dessaix's delightful contribution to the genre, he turns himself into a modern-day literary flaneur -- that is, one with a round-the-world air ticket."
A Magnificent Buffoon; Financial Times (London, UK); Jan 28, 2005.

"The dandy, on the other hand, is a flâneur, a jaded, narcissistic observer well-suited to the 7280 cell phone, whose screen becomes a mirror when not in use."
Ed Tenner; Digital Dandies; Technology Review (Cambridge, Massachusetts); Jan 2005.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Life is an adventure in forgiveness. -Norman Cousins, author and editor (1915-1990)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith