Savoyard

American  

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

noun

• Savoyards
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Savoyards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Savoyard

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Savoyard Savoyards

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

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

From The Guardian ● Mar. 14, 2011

Mr. Kahn was also an avid Savoyard, appearing in numerous campus productions of the light operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2010

A tall Crusader in coat armour stood smoking a cigarette and talking to a Savoyard peasant-girl.

From The Sixth Sense A Novel by Stephen McKenna

She was also a choreographer for the Washington Savoyards for 10 years and for other local amateur theater groups.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 22, 2022

You could attack the productions for the breakneck pace and for the anarchic, antic style that at times can feel relentless, and that occasionally overwhelms the puckish satirical and pun-laced lyrics that Savoyards revere.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 18, 2016

The book is meat for the aristocrat who banks with Coutts, and the aristocrat who cleans the boots, if they happen to be Savoyards.

From Time Magazine Archive

For that whisper belongs to the theatrical days of which Savoyards reminisce with wistful head-shakings, of which Mr. Isman, in a similar manner, writes in this book.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Savoyards saw their advantage, rallied, and pressed them.

From The Long Night by Stanley John Weyman