Savoyard

American  

[suh-voi-erd, sav-oi-ahrd, sa-vwa-yar] / səˈvɔɪ ərd, ˌsæv ɔɪˈɑrd, sa vwaˈyar /

noun

plural

Savoyards

1. a native or inhabitant of Savoy.

2. a person enthusiastic about or connected with Gilbert and Sullivan operas: so called from the Savoy Theater in London, where the operas were first presented.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Savoy, its people, or their dialect.

Savoyard ¹ British  

/ savwajar, səˈvɔɪɑːd /

noun

1. a native of Savoy

2. the dialect of French spoken in Savoy

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adjective

1. of or relating to Savoy, its inhabitants, or their dialect

Savoyard ² British  

/ səˈvɔɪɑːd /

noun

1. a person keenly interested in the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan

2. a person who takes part in these operettas

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Etymology

Origin of Savoyard

From French, dating back to 1690–1700; see origin at Savoy, -ard

Example Sentences

We’re ticking off the Stations of the Cross, which a Savoyard devout has installed on the rocky slope we’re scampering up, Olivier becoming the first man to ascend a pre-Alp while carrying a golf umbrella.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 1, 2016

From Geneva, it’s a two-hour drive to the picturesque town of Valmorel, full of villas done in the classic Savoyard design.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 23, 2015

He acknowledges — how could you not? — that the Savoyard operettas pointedly skewer bel canto conventions, both literary and musical.

From New York Times • Jun. 26, 2011

That same dandified poverty clings to the faces and tattered garb of Savoyard peasants whose desperation he drew.

From The Guardian • Mar. 14, 2011

The 10 two collections and Songs of a Savoyard were united in a volume issued in 1898, with many new illustrations.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 1 "Gichtel, Johann" to "Glory" by Various