This week’s theme
Eponyms coined after authors

This week’s words
hobbesian
marivaudage
marinism
cervantic
lovecraftian

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(mar-uh-VO-dazh)

MEANING:

noun
1. Affected writing style.
2. Banter, especially of flirtatious nature.

ETYMOLOGY:

After the French novelist Pierre de Marivaux (1688-1763), known for the verbal preciousness of his romantic comedies. Earliest documented use: 1765.

USAGE:

“The chatter between bemused husbands and the director’s numerous wives is brash marivaudage.”
Joan Dupont; Tout Ça...Pour Ça! The Movie Guide; International Herald Tribune (Paris, France); Jul 9, 1993.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: