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sang-froid

[French sahn-frwa]
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noun
  1. coolness of mind; calmness; composure: They committed the robbery with complete sang-froid.
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Origin of sang-froid

1740–50; < French: literally, cold blood

Synonyms

See more synonyms for sang-froid on Thesaurus.com
self-possession, poise, equanimity, self-control, nerve, courage, steadiness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sang-froid

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Nothing at all," he said with the sang-froid of the experienced traveler.

    Little Miss Grouch

    Samuel Hopkins Adams

  • She had the strength and sang-froid of a woman in the prime of life.

    Sons and Lovers

    David Herbert Lawrence

  • At tea Clara felt the refinement and sang-froid of the household.

    Sons and Lovers

    David Herbert Lawrence

  • My case was desperate and only a miracle of sang-froid could save me.

    My Friends the Savages

    Giovanni Battista Cerruti

  • But he, M. Lacheneur, had been wise enough to retain his sang-froid.

    The Honor of the Name

    Emile Gaboriau

British Dictionary definitions for sang-froid

sang-froid

noun
  1. composure; self-possession; calmness
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Word Origin

C18: from French, literally: cold blood
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 sang-froid

n.

"presence of mind, composure," 1712, from French sang froid, literally "cool blood," from sang "blood" (from Latin sanguis; see sanguinary) + froid "cold" (from Latin frigidus; see frigid).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper