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A.Word.A.Day--bonhomie

Pronunciation RealAudio

bonhomie (bon-uh-MEE)

noun: Friendliness; affability; geniality.

From French bonhomie, from bonhomme (good-natured man), from bon (good) + homme (man).

"We have watched how athletes, sportsmen and women from all around the world fought for supremacy in different disciplines in a fiercely competitive yet perfectly friendly way. They upheld peace and bonhomie above everything else."
Olympics End; The Daily Star (Dhaka, Bangladesh); Aug 31, 2004.

"By the time Gary Orfield finishes, the banter and bonhomie have given way to head shaking."
John Wolfson; The Road to Perdition; Boston Magazine; Aug 2004.

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

This week's theme: Miscellaneous words

X-Bonus

A great war leaves the country with three armies - an army of cripples, an army of mourners, and an army of thieves. -German proverb

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