Question

fanfaronade noun If we tell you that fanfaronade is what fanfarons do, you'll easily guess that "fanfaron" means "braggart." Both "fanfaron" (a fairly uncommon word found in unabridged dictionaries) and "fanfaronade" derive from "fanfarrón," a Spanish word for a boaster that probably developed in imitation of the verbal claptrap blared by blowhards. "Fanfarrón" gave Spanish speakers "fanfarronada," which the French borrowed with the spelling "fanfaronnade"; English speakers further modified the French term into "fanfaronade" in the mid-1600s. Some etymologists believe English speakers borrowed "fanfaron" directly from Spanish, but others think that word also passed through French before reaching our language. It isn't clear whether "fanfaron" and "fanfaronade" are directly related to the similar "fanfare" or if that term arose as yet another transliteration of the sound of a showy or pompous display. : empty boasting : bluster

Accepted Answer

January 23, 2013 fan-fair-uh-NAYD Having grown weary of the former governor's fanfaronade and lack of concrete action, voters sent a clear message at the polls and elected his opponent by a landslide.   "I don't intend this as an article about how to divorce oneself from conceit, narcissism and fanfaronade...." - From an article by Phil Guarnieri in the Floral Park Dispatch (New York), August 10, 2012

Word	fanfaronade
Date	January 23, 2013
Type	noun
Syllables	fan-fair-uh-NAYD
Etymology	If we tell you that fanfaronade is what fanfarons do, you'll easily guess that "fanfaron" means "braggart." Both "fanfaron" (a fairly uncommon word found in unabridged dictionaries) and "fanfaronade" derive from "fanfarrón," a Spanish word for a boaster that probably developed in imitation of the verbal claptrap blared by blowhards. "Fanfarrón" gave Spanish speakers "fanfarronada," which the French borrowed with the spelling "fanfaronnade"; English speakers further modified the French term into "fanfaronade" in the mid-1600s. Some etymologists believe English speakers borrowed "fanfaron" directly from Spanish, but others think that word also passed through French before reaching our language. It isn't clear whether "fanfaron" and "fanfaronade" are directly related to the similar "fanfare" or if that term arose as yet another transliteration of the sound of a showy or pompous display.
Examples	Having grown weary of the former governor's fanfaronade and lack of concrete action, voters sent a clear message at the polls and elected his opponent by a landslide. "I don't intend this as an article about how to divorce oneself from conceit, narcissism and fanfaronade...." - From an article by Phil Guarnieri in the Floral Park Dispatch (New York), August 10, 2012
Definition	: empty boasting : bluster

Fanfaron Fanfaronade Word Speakers French Spanish Borrowed English