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élan

[ ey-lahn, ey-lan; French ey-lahn ]
/ eɪˈlɑn, eɪˈlæn; French eɪˈlɑ̃ /
See synonyms for élan on Thesaurus.com

noun

dash; impetuous ardor: to dance with great élan.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
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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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH élan

éclat, élan

Words nearby élan

elaiosome, El Alamein, Elam, Elamite, Elamitic, élan, élancé, eland, élan vital, elapid, elapse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to élan

animation, ardor, dash, flair, impetus, life, oomph, panache, spirit, style, verve, vigor, vim, zest, zing, brio, esprit, impetuosity

Example sentences from the Web for élan

British Dictionary definitions for élan

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