ennui
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
- From French ennui, from Old French enui (“annoyance”), from enuier (see ennuyer and annoy), from Vulgar Latin inodiare, from Latin odium (“hate”)
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
ennui (uncountable)
- A gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Quotations
- For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.
[edit] Translations
listlessness, boredom
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melancholia, depression
[edit] French
[edit] Etymology
Old French enui, probably from the verb enuier
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
ennui m. (plural ennuis)
- (uncountable) Boredom; lassitude.
- 1832, Honoré de Balzac, La Femme de Trente Ans, Chapter 3,
- Notre ennui, nos mœurs fades sont le résultat du système politique. — Our boredom, our insipid customs, are the result of the political system.
- 1832, Honoré de Balzac, La Femme de Trente Ans, Chapter 3,
- (uncountable) Trouble, issue, annoyance.
[edit] Usage notes
- In the sense of "trouble", the word is almost solely used in the expression l'ennui avec or as a pluralia tantum (see ennuis).
[edit] Related terms
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