élan

[ ey-lahn, ey-lan; French ey-lahn ]

/ eɪˈlɑn, eɪˈlæn; French eɪˈlɑ̃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR élan ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

dash; impetuous ardor: to dance with great élan.

Nearby words

Origin of élan

1875–80; French, Middle French eslan a dash, rush, noun derivative of eslancer to dart, equivalent to es- ex-¹ + lancer to lance¹

Can be confusedéclat élan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for elan

The romance of elan energized the volunteers who flocked to the colors in the early years of the struggle.
Lawrence of Arabia Became Popular as the Dashing Antithesis of the War in Europe|Jack Schwartz|December 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Now that we know about DNA, we no longer need an elan vital.
Is the Brain No Different From a Light Switch? The Uncomfortable Ideas of the Philosopher Daniel Dennett|Jonathan Weiner|May 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As the indictment notes, Martoma was regarded by an SAC official as a “one-trick pony with Elan.”
The Insider-Trading Cloud Hanging Over SAC Capital’s Steven A. Cohen|Daniel Gross|November 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A certain proportion of this would, of course, be allowed to escape, as it would never do to stop the river Elan altogether.
Chatterbox, 1906|Various

Daim is the French for deer, and cerf for stag; elan is the true term, when one would speak of an elk.
The Last of the Mohicans|James Fenimore Cooper
These people are much given to bleed, and therefore stop their noses with deer hair or the hair of an elan.
Voyages in Search of the North-West Passage|Richard Hakluyt
His feoffees were to pay nineteen marks “for ye makyng ye sayd Elan nun.”
Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535|Eileen Edna Power
He could not appreciate the weakness of assuming the defensive in the midst of the elan of a successful advance.
The Campaign of Chancellorsville|Theodore A. Dodge

British Dictionary definitions for elan

élan

/ (eɪˈlɑːn, eɪˈlæn, French elɑ̃) /

noun

a combination of style and vigourhe performed the concerto with élan

Word Origin for élan

C19: from French, from élancer to throw forth, ultimately from Latin lancea lance

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

Word Origin and History for elan

elan

1877, from French élan (16c.), "spring, bound, impetus," noun derived from élancer "to rush, dart," from Old French elancer, from e- "out" (see ex-) + lancer "to throw," originally "to throw a lance," from Late Latin lanceare, from Latin lancea (see lance (n.)).

élan

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of élan

Examples from the Web for elan

British Dictionary definitions for elan

élan

noun

Word Origin for élan

Word Origin and History for elan

elan