effleurage

American

[ef-luh-rahzh] / ˌɛf ləˈrɑʒ /

noun

a delicate stroking motion in massage.

effleurage British

/ ˌɛflɜːˈrɑːʒ /

noun

a light stroking technique used in massage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

(intr) to massage using this movement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of effleurage

1885–90; < French, equivalent to effleur ( er ) (to) stroke as one would a flower (i.e., lightly; see ef-, flower) + -age -age

Vocabulary lists containing effleurage

2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 3

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The wholistic therapy incorporates herbal heat wraps, reflexology, effleurage and lymphatic drainage detoxification.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2019

He schooled his patients in effleurage, a simple massage of the lower abdomen that serves to lessen muscular tension during contractions.

From Time Magazine Archive

At Prentice Women's Hospital, in Chicago, twelve couples are learning a procedure called effleurage, part of the Lamaze method of "prepared" child delivery.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023