The French word 'beaucoup' is used in English as a slang adjective meaning 'great in quantity or amount', though in French it is an adverb.
La palabra francesa 'beaucoup' se usa en inglés como una adjetivo de jerga que significa 'mucho' o 'muchos', aunque en francés es un adverbio.
| Word | beaucoup |
|---|---|
| Date | May 3, 2018 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | BOH-koo |
| Etymology | In French, as you may know, beaucoup is an adverb meaning "a lot" or "much" (as in merci beaucoup, meaning "thanks a lot"). Beaucoup isn't used on its own as an adjective in French; if you want to say "many" in French, you use the phrase beaucoup de. In other words, you would say beaucoup de livres ("a lot of books"), not beaucoup livres. But French grammar was thrown to the wind when English speakers borrowed this word. Beaucoup has been used as a playful slang adjective in English since at least the 19th century. |
| Examples | "Atlanta has beaucoup amenities for visitors, from one of the world's largest aquariums, to headier destinations such as the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library." — Michael Kahn, Curbed Atlanta, 12 July 2017 "Two estranged sisters with beaucoup unresolved issues meet for a European holiday in Swedish writer-director Lisa Langseth's inauspicious English-language feature 'Euphoria.'" — Alissa Simon, Variety, 8 Sept. 2017 |
| Definition | slang : great in quantity or amount : many, much |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Palindrome meaning noxon forward i noun pal-un-drohm palindromic
Previous card: Word flocculate verb late century loose latin flock
Up to card list: Word of the Day