Montaigne

American  

[mon-teyn, mawn-ten-y^uh] / mɒnˈteɪn, mɔ̃ˈtɛn yə /

noun

1. Michel Eyquem Seigneur de, 1533–92, French essayist.

---

Montaigne British  

/ mɔ̃tɛɲ /

noun

1. Michel Eyquem de (miʃɛl ikɛm də). 1533–92, French writer. His life's work, the Essays (begun in 1571), established the essay as a literary genre and record the evolution of his moral ideas

---

Example Sentences

Montaigne “has seen too much of gentlemen in the long robe, until he wishes for cannibals,” he suggests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

"Vladimir Putin is using this to communicate with the West, because he could undoubtedly achieve the same operational effects without this missile," Cyrille Bret, a Russia expert at the Paris-based Montaigne Institute, told AFP.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

Christian Dior Parfums’ newest boutique is open at South Coast Plaza, inspired by Dior’s birthplace at the legendary 30 Ave. Montaigne in Paris.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2025

France is "fiercely proud" that its intelligence and security services are not intertwined with the US, unlike the UK, says Georgina Wright, deputy director for international studies at the Institut Montaigne.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2025

Montaigne, too, was right—right to think that the men and women of his day were hopelessly fallible when it came to understanding the world.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton