Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ



Apr 5, 2011
This week's theme
Words borrowed from French

This week's words
soubrette
beau geste
volte-face
entrepot
gris-gris

Got a website?
Free content for your site
Words, quotations & more
Discuss
Feedback
RSS/XML
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

beau geste

PRONUNCIATION:
(bo ZHEST)
plural beaux gestes (bo ZHEST)

MEANING:
noun: A gracious, but often meaningless, gesture.

ETYMOLOGY:
From French, literally fine gesture. Earliest documented use: 1920.

USAGE:
"An effective encore doesn't risk becoming an empty beau geste; it is an emotional p.s. somehow relating to the mood of the written program."
Peter Dobrin; Applauding the Orchestra for Offering Encores; The Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania); Jan 15, 2011.

See more usage examples of beau geste in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
You only have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in your power -- he's free again. -Alexander Solzhenitsyn, novelist, Nobel laureate (1918-2008)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith