Inlingua Delhi lists 5 most beautiful French words and the story of their origin

by alok v. Writer

Paris is the city of love and French is the language of romance. Linguistic experts at Inlingua Delhi celebrate the beauty of French language by bringing you the 5 most beautiful French words, and the story behind their origin. Have a look:

1.       Etiquette

‘Etiquette’ originated in the French Court of Louis XIV at Versailles. A number of étiquettes (little cards) were used by courtiers to remember all the little nit-picky rules they needed to abide by while at court. The word’s meaning gradually morphed into "how to conduct oneself properly in a polite society".

 

2.       Panache

Literally meaning ‘feather’ or ‘plume’ worn on a hat or a helmet, ‘panache’ originated with King Henry IV of France (1553 – 1610). A courageous military leader, he wore a white plume on his helmet and was famed for his war cry: "Follow my white plume!" ("Ralliez-vous à mon panache blanc !").

 

3.       Haute couture

Couture is French for sewing. This word is most popularly known as part of a well-known syntagma ‘haute couture’ – high fashion. Fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of France since the 17th Century, and modern haute couture originated in Paris in the 1860s. France has the term haute couture protected by law and defined by the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris, which determines which fashion houses have the right to call themselves a couture house.

 

4.       Parapluie

Meaning ‘umbrella’, this is another beautiful word that might just cheer you up on a rainy day. The origin of this French word can be explained by splitting ‘parapluie’ in half to make para + pluie. Para- is a prefix used to indicate protection and pluie is the French word for ‘rain,’ making the word’s literal translation as ‘protection from the rain’! 

 

5.       Cliché

Cliché is a noun derived from the verb clicher, meaning ‘to stereotype’. It is a past participle form used as a noun. The word is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought or a very predictable or unoriginal thing or person”. Cliché is one of the most popular French words that have entered the vocabulary of many other languages.

Linguistic experts at Inlingua Delhi believe that French language is just as alluring as Urdu. However, it is a sad reality that the beauty of both these languages is lost in translations. According to them, one must learn French in order to experience how amazing the language is.

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Created on Nov 27th 2017 06:26. Viewed 366 times.

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