Elan


[ey-lahn, ey-lan; French ey-lahn] /eɪˈlɑn, eɪˈlæn; French eɪˈlɑ̃/

noun
1.
dash; impetuous ardor:
to dance with great élan.
/eɪˈlɑːn; eɪˈlæn; French elɑ̃/
noun
1.
a combination of style and vigour: he performed the concerto with élan
n.

1877, from French élan (16c.), “spring, bound, impetus,” noun derived from élancer “to rush, dart,” from Old French elancer, from e- “out” (see ex-) + lancer “to throw,” originally “to throw a lance,” from Late Latin lanceare, from Latin lancea (see lance (n.)).

[“Top-down Programming with Elan”, C.H.A. Koster, Ellis Horwood 1987].

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