frisson

English

WOTD – 2 November 2009    

Etymology

From French frisson.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈfriː.sɔ̃ː/
• (US) IPA: /friˈsoʊn/, /friˈsõʊn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

frisson (plural frissons)

1. A sudden surge of excitement.

   I felt a frisson just as they were about to announce the winner in my category.

2. A shiver.

   Whenever the villain's theme played in the movie I felt a sudden frisson down my back.

Translations

a sudden surge of excitement

• Finnish: väristys (fi)

a shiver

• Finnish: väristys (fi)
• Italian: brivido (it)

• Polish: dreszcz (pl) m
• Russian: дрожь (ru) (drožʹ) f

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French

Etymology

From Latin frīgeō (“to be cold”).

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA: /fʁi.sɔ̃/, X-SAMPA: /fRi.sO~/

Noun

frisson (plural frissons)

1. A shiver or thrill of fright that can be strangely pleasurable, as when reading good horror fiction.
2. An experience of intense excitement.

Anagrams

• frisons