tour de force

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French tour de force (feat of strength), circa 19th century.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˌtuɹ.dəˈfoɹs/, /ˌtuɹ.dəˈfɔɹs/
  • (file)

Noun[edit]

tour de force (plural tours de force)

  1. A feat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field.
    Now orbiting Earth, Gravity Probe B is a technological tour de force.
    • 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, Kindle edition, OUP Oxford, published 2016, page 429:
      Much as I admire Wilson’s tour de force—I wish people would read it more and read about it less—my hackles have always risen at the entirely false suggestion that his book influenced mine.

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Noun[edit]

tour de force m (plural tours de force)

  1. exploit, tour de force

Synonyms[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Literally, turn of strength, or more loosely translated as turn of force.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

tour de force m (plural tours de force)

  1. tour de force

Descendants[edit]

  • Dutch: krachttoer (calque)

German[edit]

Noun[edit]

tour de force f (genitive tour de force, plural tours de force)

  1. Alternative spelling of Tour de Force

Declension[edit]