avant la lettre

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From French avant la lettre (before the letter)

[edit] Idiom

avant la lettre

  1. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought): (idiomatic) Before the term was coined; used after a term applied anachronistically.
    Suffragettes were feminists avant la lettre. — Suffragettes were feminists before the word "feminist" existed.

[edit] French

[edit] Etymology

From avant (before) and lettre, a caption added to an engraving to describe the drawing.

[edit] Idiom

avant la lettre (avant la lettre)

  1. (engraving) Before lettering, before letters. "Épreuve, gravure avant la lettre": a print made before the caption is added (proof engraving, proof before letters)
    Cette estampe a fait l'objet de cinq tirages avant la lettre.
  2. (figuratively) Before the term was coined. Used when using a term anachronistically.
    C'était un écologiste avant la lettre.

[edit] Antonyms

In other languages