sangfroid

English

WOTD – 22 May 2012    

Alternative forms

• sang-froid
• sang froid

Pronunciation

• IPA: [sɑŋˈfrwɑd], [sɑ̃ˈfʁwa]

Etymology

French sang (“blood”) + froid (“cold”)

Noun

sangfroid (uncountable)

1. Composure, self-possession or imperturbability especially when in a dangerous situation.
   • 2013 January 1, Brian Hayes, “Father of Fractals”, American Scientist, volume 101, number 1, page 62: 

     Toward the end of the war, Benoit was sent off on his own with forged papers; he wound up working as a horse groom at a chalet in the Loire valley. Mandelbrot describes this harrowing youth with great sangfroid.

   He handled the stressful situation with great sangfroid.

Synonyms

• poise
• aplomb
• unflappability

Related terms

• sanguine

Translations

composure, self-possession or imperturbability

• Armenian: սառնարյունություն (hy) (saṙnaryunutʿyun), ինքնատիրապետում (hy) (inkʿnatirapetum)
• Catalan: sang freda (ca) f
• Danish: koldblodighed (da) c
• Finnish: kylmähermoisuus (fi), kylmäverisyys (fi), kylmäpäisyys (fi)
• German: Gelassenheit f, Seelenruhe f, Kaltblütigkeit f

• Italian: sangue freddo m, imperturbabilità f
• Norwegian: kaldblodig (no), uberørt (no)
• Russian: хладнокровие (ru) (xladnokrovije) n, самообладание (ru) (samoobladanije) n