The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (27 page)

enceinte (onsant) FRENCH [pregnant,
from Latin inciens being with young,
from Greek enkyos pregnant] adjective
pregnant: "I mean that M. de Nargonne,
your first husband, being neither a philosopher nor a banker, or perhaps being both,
and seeing there was nothing to be got out
of a king's attorney, died of grief or anger
atfinding, after an absence of nine months,
that you had been enceinte six" (Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo,
1844-45).

enchante (onshon14) FRENCH
[enchanted, past participle of
enchanter to charm, to enchant, from
Latin incantare to chant a magic formula against] adjective charmed,
enchanted, delighted (usually in
response when being introduced to
someone).

enchilada (enchalahda) SPANISH [feminine of enchilado, past participle of
enchilar to season with chili] noun a
filled tortilla rolled and baked with
chili sauce.

en clair (on klair) FRENCH [in clear]
adverb phrase in plain language,
clearly. adjective phrase clear, unambiguous.

enclave (onklayv) FRENCH [enclosure,
from enclaver to enclose] noun a
region, area, or community that is
entirely enclosed within foreign territory or otherwise alien surroundings: "The hotel provided an enclave for
the expatriate community."

encomium (enkOmeedm) GREEK
[enkomion eulogy, panegyric] noun
(plural encomiums or encomia,
enkomeea) an expression of praise,
a eulogy: "`This part was raised by order
of the first of the Seleucidae.Three hundred
years have made it part of the rock it rests
upan.' The defence justfed the encomium.
High, solid, and with many bold angles,
it curved southwardly out of view" (Law
Wallace, Ben Hur, 1880).

encore (onkor) FRENCH [again, once
more, possibly from Latin hanc horam
within this hour] interjection again!
(in requesting that a performance
be repeated). noun a request by an
audience for a performance of some
kind to be repeated, or the repeated
performance itself; a request for
the performers to follow up with a
performance of an additional (usuall), brief) work. `No doubt he had
applauded for an encore' when he danced
with Ella Dowling, gave Ella the same
genial look, and said, `That's splendid!'
When the `encore' was over, Alice spoke
to him for the first time" (Booth Tarkington, Alice Adams, 1921). -verb to
repeat a performance, or request that
it be repeated.

en croute (on kroot) FRENCH [in crust]
adverb phrase cooked in. adjective
phrase cooked in pastry: "The next item
on the menu was boeuf en croute, beautifully presented surrounded with glazed
vegetables."

en famille (on famee) FRENCH [in
family] adverb phrase at home, with
one's family, informally: "I always call
her Henny, en famille, and I look upon
you as almost one of us since our travels"
(James Fenimore Cooper, Autobiography of a Pocket-Handkerchief, 1843).

enfant terrible (onfon(g) tareeb,
onfon(g) tareebla) FRENCH [terrible
child] noun phrase (plural enfants terribles) an unruly child or a person who is known for unorthodox or
outrageous behavior, often applied to
avant-garde figures in the arts world:
"Am I worse than other people, or better?
I think I'm worse.' 'Enfant terrible, enfant
terrible!' repeated Betsy" (Leo Tolstoy,
Anna Karenina, 1874-76).

enfant trouve (onfon(g) troov)
FRENCH [found child] noun phrase
(plural enfants trouves) an abandoned child with unknown parents,
a foundling.

en fete (on fet) FRENCH [in festival]
adjective phrase in a festive mood or
holiday spirit, or wearing gala attire.

enfilade (enfalayd) FRENCH [from
enfiler to thread on a string] noun in
military jargon, a position offering
command over the entire length of a
line, or gunfire directed from such a
position: "As soon as the first line left the
trenches it was subjected to an enfilade from
the right flank." -verb to rake the entire
length of a line of troops with gunfire.

engage (ongazhay) FRENCH [engaged,
past participle of engager to engage]
adjective committed (to a political
cause, for example).

en garde (on gard) FRENCH [on
guard] beware, watch out! (traditionally used as a challenge in fencing):
"The two rivals raised their blades and
with challenges of `en garde' circled one
another warily."

enigma (ema) GREEK [ainigma,
from ainos fable] noun (plural enigmas
or enigmata, enigmahta) a mystery or puzzle, something or someone
considered difficult to understand:
"She had drawn lines in the shape of a cross
over the sphinx and sent him a message to
say that the solution of the enigma was the
cross" (Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons,
1862).

en masse (on mas) FRENCH [in a
mass] adverb phrase in a body, as
a whole, as one, collectively: "Then
the March family turned out en masse,
and Jo exerted herse f to some purpose,
for people not only came, but stayed,
laughing at her nonsense, admiring Amy's
taste, and apparently enjoying themselves
very much" (Louisa May Alcott, Little
Women, 1868-69).

ennui (onwee) FRENCH [annoyance,
from Latin in odio, from mihi in odio
est it is hateful to me] noun (plural
ennuis) boredom, tedium, listlessness: "She threw down the book and surrendered herself to the ennui that had been
threatening her all morning." -adjective
ennuyant (onweeon) FRENCH [boring,
present participle of ennuyer to bore]
boring.

Enosis (inosis) GREEK [from henosis
union, from henoun to unite] noun a
political movement seeking the union
of Greece and Cyprus.

en papillote See FAFILLOTE.

en passant (on pas" ) FRENCH [in
passing] adverb phrase in passing, incidentally, by the way: "We merely suggest,
en passant, that some of our best citizens
might deem it a wonderful and beauteous
thing ff, in addition to paying the fine, Mr.
Louden could serve for the loyal Happy his
six months in the Bastile!" (BoothTarkington, Conquest of Canaan, 1905).

en pension (on pons),on(g), on ponshon(g)) FRENCH [in board and lodging] adverb phrase living in lodgings
or as a boarder. adjective phrase living
in lodgings or as a boarder.

en plein air (on plan air) FRENCH [in
full air] adverb phrase in the open air.

enrage (onrazhay) FRENCH [enraged,
mad, past participle of enrager to
enrage] noun a fanatic or enthusiast.

en rapport (on vapor) FRENCH [in
connection, in contact] adjective
phrase in harmony, in agreement:
"It would appear that the negotiators are
now en rapport about the future course of
the project."

en route (on root) FRENCH [on the
way] adverb phrase on the way, along
the way, in transit: "The documents are
en route and will be with you by tomorrow."
-adjective phrase on the way, along the
way, in transit.

ensemble (onsombal) FRENCH [together, from Latin insimul at the same time] noun a group (of musicians,
actors, or performers) working as a
whole to produce a single effect; also
applied to parts of machinery and sets
of clothing: "The whole ensemble was
topped off with a jaunty little cloche hat
with a yellowfeather stuck in it."

en suite (on sweet) FRENCH [in succession] adverb phrase in a series, in
succession, in a row, or connected,
leading to another, or part of a matching set. 'adjective phrase in a series,
in succession, or connected, leading
to another, or part of a matching set:
"They want to reserve a bedroom with an
en suite bathroom."

entente (ontont) FRENCH [arrangement, understanding] noun an
agreement or understanding between
nations on a common course of
action.

entente cordiale (ontont kordeeal)
FRENCH [cordial understanding,
hearty agreement] noun phrase (plural ententes cordiales) a cordial
or friendly agreement or working
relationship, especially between governments: "The entente cordiale between
Britain and France in 1904 formed the
basis of Anglo-French cooperation in World
War I."

entourage (ontoorahzh, ontoorahzh)
FRENCH [circle of friends, from
entourer to surround] noun a person's
retinue, attendants, or associates, or more rarely a person's surroundings
or environment: "The queen arrived
with her entourage around midnight."

entr'acte (ontrakt) FRENCH[between
the acts, from entre between and acte
act] noun an interval during a play,
or a dance or piece of music played
during such an interval: A trio offiddlers entertained the audience during the
entr'acte."

en train (on tran ) FRENCH [in train]
adverb phrase in train, under way,
afoot.

en travesti (on travestee) FRENCH [in
travesty] adverb phrase wearing the
clothes of the opposite sex: "As an actor
he was always being asked to perform en
travesti, usually in light comedy and revue."

entrechat (ontrashah) FRENCH [from
Italian capriola intrecciata complicated
caper] noun in ballet, a leap during which a dancer strikes the heels
together or crosses the legs several
times in quick succession.

entrecote (ontrakot), entrecote
FRENCH [between rib] noun a sirloin steak cut from between the
ribs: "The minister dined off an entrecote
steak, washed down with a bottle of good
red wine."

entree (ctray, on), entree FRENCH
[entrance] noun an entrance, or permission to enter; alternatively, the first part of a piece of music or public performance: "The old woman racked her
brains trying to decide which connection she
should exploit to secure the best entree into
society for her young niece Also refers to
the main course of a meal (originally a
dish served between the fish course and
the main meat course).

entremets (ontramwz, ontramayz)
FRENCH [between-dish, from Latin
intermissus, past participle of intermittere to intermit] plural noun a side
dish, a dish served between the main
courses of a meal (sometimes referring to the dessert).

entre sous (ontrd noo) FRENCH
[between us] adverb phrase between
ourselves, in confidence: "His answer
was, I have given out that she is to sail
on Saturday next; but I may let you know,
entre nous, that if you are there by Monday morning, you will be in time, but do
not delay longer"' (Benjamin Franklin,
Autobiography, 1793).

entrepot (ontrapo) FRENCH [warehouse, from entreposer to put between,
to store] noun a storehouse or an
intermediate port or staging post for
trade, where goods for import and
export may be stored temporarily:
"The great trade of Rouen and Bordeaux
seems to be altogether the effect of their
situation. Rouen is necessarily the entrepot
of almost all the goods which are brought
either from foreign countries, or from the
maritime provinces of France, for the con sumption of the great city of Paris" (Adam
Smith, Wealth of Nations, 1776).

entrepreneur (ontr3pr3ncr) FRENCH
[from entreprendre to undertake] noun
a person who pursues an independent
course in business, typically setting up
and running his or her own projects
or companies: "He was a bold entrepreneur who enjoyed arranging profitable
business deals."

entrez (ontra)') FRENCH [you enter]
verb enter (in response to a knock
on the door etc.): "Next day at ten
o'clock Levin, who had already gone his
rounds, knocked at the room whereVassenka
had been put for the night. Tntrez!'Veslovsky called to him" (Leo Tolsto),, Anna
Karenina, 1874 76).

environs (envlrinz, envi2rinz) FRENCH
[area, vicinity, plural of environ surrounding] plural noun the immediate
vicinity or neighborhood, often referring to the outlying areas of an urban
district: "The unsalubrious environs did
little to encourage patrons to venture out
to the restaurant."

envoi (envoi), envoy FRENCH [message, from envoyer to send] noun the
concluding words or section of a piece
of poetry or other writing, often a
commendation or dedication from
the author.

en voyage (on vo)'ahzh) FRENCH [on
a journey] adverb phrase while trav cling: "The lamps are lighted up all of a
sudden. The music plays the old air from
John ofParis,Ah quel plaisir d'etre en voyage" (William Makepeace Thackeray,
Vanity Fair, 1847).

eo nomine (ceo nominee) LATIN [by
that name, ablative of id nomen that
name] adverb phrase by or under that
name, in that name.

E.p., e.p. See EDITIO PRINCEPS.

epater les bourgeois (a),patay lay
borzhwa) FRENCH [to amaze the bourgeois, attributed to Alexandre Private d'Anglemont (d. 1859)] adverb
phrase in order to shock conventional society: "You refer to things not
generally known by your readers without explanation -a thing which inferior
people do to epater les bourgeois"'(Oliver
Wendell Holmes, Letters).

epaulette (epalet, epalet), epaulet
FRENCH [from epaulette, from epaule
shoulder, ultimately from Latin spatula spoon (after the shape)] noun an
ornamental shoulder piece commonly
attached to military uniforms, ranging
from a simple loop or tab to a more
elaborate trimming indicating the rank
of officer: "As a major he wore a smart
scarlet uniform with gold epaulettes."

epee (epa),, aypay) FRENCH [from
Latin spatha spoon, sword] noun a
fencing or duelling sword with a
triangular blade having a sharp point but no cutting edge: "He picked up the
fallen epee and found that there was blood
on the point."

ephemera (efemara) GREEK [plural
of ephemeron on a day] noun (plural
ephemeras or ephemerae, efemaree)
something of transitory nature or significance; also applied to collections
of everyday printed or written items
(such as tickets or posters) that were
never intended to last beyond their
immediate use: "He had a vast collection
of railroad travel ephemera."

epithalamium (ep5th5j4mee5m)
GREEK [epithalamion bridal chamber]
noun (plural epithalamiums or epithalamia, epathalgmeea) a song
or poem written in celebration of a
wedding.

epitome (eptamee) GREEK [epitemnein to cut short] noun a summary
or abstract of a written document,
or the embodiment of something:
"Thus Uncle Penner was a miscellaneous
old gentleman, partly himself, but, in
good measure, somebody else; patched
together, too, of dfferent epochs; an
epitome of times and fashions" (Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven
Gables, 1851).