élan [ ey-lahn, ey-lan; French ey-lahn ]
noun
1. dash; impetuous ardor: to dance with great élan.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ÉLAN
éclat
WORDS RELATED TO ÉLAN
animation, ardor, dash, flair, impetus, life, oomph, panache, spirit, style, verve, vigor, vim, zest, zing, brio, esprit, impetuosity
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Origin: 1875–80; French, Middle French eslan a dash, rush, noun derivative of eslancer to dart, equivalent to es-ex- + lancer to lance
EXAMPLE SENTENCES FROM THE WEB FOR ÉLAN
The romance of elan energized the volunteers who flocked to the colors in the early years of the struggle.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA BECAME POPULAR AS THE DASHING ANTITHESIS OF THE WAR IN EUROPE|JACK SCHWARTZ|DECEMBER 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Now that we know about DNA, we no longer need an elan vital.
IS THE BRAIN NO DIFFERENT FROM A LIGHT SWITCH? THE UNCOMFORTABLE IDEAS OF THE PHILOSOPHER DANIEL DENNETT|JONATHAN WEINER|MAY 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As the indictment notes, Martoma was regarded by an SAC official as a “one-trick pony with Elan.”
THE INSIDER-TRADING CLOUD HANGING OVER SAC CAPITAL’S STEVEN A. COHEN|DANIEL GROSS|NOVEMBER 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A certain proportion of this would, of course, be allowed to escape, as it would never do to stop the river Elan altogether.
CHATTERBOX, 1906|VARIOUS
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