avant-garde

English

WOTD – 31 January 2012    

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• aduant garde

Etymology

Borrowing from French avant-garde (“vanguard”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /æˈvãt.ɡɑː(ɹ)d/, /ˈævn̩t.ɡɑː(ɹ)d/

Noun

avant-garde (plural avant-gardes)

1. (obsolete) The vanguard of an army or other force.
2. Any group of people who invent or promote new techniques or concepts, especially in the arts.

Synonyms

• (group of people associated with the new): vanguard

Translations

(obsolete) the vanguard of an army or other force

• German: Vorhut (de) f
• Polish: awangarda (pl) f
• Russian: авангард (ru) (avangárd) m, головной отряд (golovnój otrjád) m, передовой отряд (peredovój otrjád) m

• Thai: แนวหน้า (th) (næwh̄n̂ā)

group of people promoting new concepts

• Bengali: অগ্রপথিক (bn) (agropothik)
• Czech: avantgarda (cs) f
• Danish: avantgarde (da)
• French: avant-garde (fr) f
• German: Avantgarde (de) f, Vorhut (de) f

• Hebrew: אוונגרדי (he)
• Korean: 전위 (ko) (jeon-wi)
• Polish: awangarda (pl) f
• Russian: авангард (ru) (avangárd) m, авангардисты (ru) (avangardísty) m pl
• Spanish: vanguardia (es) f

Adjective

avant-garde (comparative more avant-garde, superlative most avant-garde)

1. Innovative, pioneering, especially when extremely or obviously so.

   It was a very avant-garde production.

Synonyms

• trendy
• underground
• See also Wikisaurus:innovation

Translations

innovative, pioneering, especially when extremely or obviously so

• Polish: awangardowy (pl) m

• Russian: авангардистский (ru) (avangardístskij)

See also

• leading edge

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French

Etymology

avant (“before, in front of”) +‎ garde (“guard”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /a.vɑ̃.ɡaʁd/

Noun

avant-garde f (plural avant-gardes)

1. (military) vanguard
2. (figuratively) avant-garde

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Middle French

Noun

avant-garde f (plural avant-gardes)

1. (military) vanguard