penchant
[ pen-chuh nt; French pahn-shahn ]
/ ˈpɛn tʃənt; French pɑ̃ˈʃɑ̃ /
noun
a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something: a penchant for outdoor sports.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
proclivity, taste, weakness, propensity, affinity, affection, predilection, tendency, predisposition, itch, yen, tilt, partiality, turn, bias, attachment, disposition, leaning, liking
Nearby words
Origin of penchant
1665–75; < French, noun use of present participle of pencher to incline, lean < Vulgar Latin *pendicāre, derivative of Latin pendēre to hang
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for penchant
penchant
/ (ˈpɒŋʃɒŋ) /
noun
a strong inclination or liking; bent or taste
Word Origin for penchant
C17: from French, from pencher to incline, from Latin pendēre to be suspended
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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penchant
1670s, from French penchant, noun use of present participle of Old French pencher "to incline," from Vulgar Latin *pendicare, a frequentative formed from Latin pendere "to hang" (see pendant (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
penchant
see have a penchant for.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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