élan

American  

[ey-lahn, ey-lan, ey-lahn] / eɪˈlɑn, eɪˈlæn, eɪˈlɑ̃ /

noun

1. style; flair; dash (especially in manner).

   to dance with great élan.

   Synonyms:

   zest, verve, spirit, panache, esprit, animation

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élan British  

/ eɪˈlæn, elɑ̃, eɪˈlɑːn /

noun

1. a combination of style and vigour

   he performed the concerto with élan

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Etymology

Origin of élan

First recorded in 1875–80; French, Middle French eslan “a dash, rush,” noun derivative of eslancer “to dart,” equivalent to es- ex- ¹ + lancer “to lance ¹ ”

Example Sentences

And so it was with Hollywood, which over the course of four decades translated some of McMurtry’s best work for film, episodes narrated with élan by Mr. Streitfeld.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite this, the Elan Valley dams are no stranger to deaths - 55 people die in inland waters across Wales every year and the local fire station keeps a boat.

From BBC

Earlier that month, a lone walker had spotted the man's body floating a few metres out from shore at Claerwen Reservoir, the largest and most remote of a series of reservoirs in the picturesque Elan Valley in Powys.

From BBC

They'll all be there to see if France can make it four wins out of four, to see if Bielle-Biarrey can score in his ninth consecutive Six Nations game, to see if Les Bleus can blow Scotland away with the same elan they showed when racing, with obscene haste, into a 29-0 lead after 47 minutes against Ireland, a 19-0 lead after 15 minutes against Wales and 19-0, again, after 29 minutes against Italy.

From BBC

However, they added the decision "is in line with the collective desire to give Cojop a new elan thanks to a refreshed governance, at a time when with the foundations laid, we are entering a new key phase of the delivery of the project".

From Barron's