panache

noun

pa·​nache pə-ˈnash  -ˈnäsh 

1

: an ornamental tuft (as of feathers) especially on a helmet

The palace guard had a panache on his helmet.

2

: dash or flamboyance in style and action : verve

flashed his … smile and waved with the panache of a big-city mayor

—Joe Morgenstern

Illustration of panache

• panache 1

Did you know?

Few literary characters can match the panache of French poet and soldier Cyrano de Bergerac, from Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play of the same name. In his dying moments, Cyrano declares that the one thing left to him is his panache, and that assertion at once demonstrates the meaning of the word and draws upon its history. In both French and English, panache (which traces back to Late Latin pinnaculum, “small wing”) originally referred to a showy, feathery plume on a hat or helmet; our familiar figurative sense debuted in the first English translation of Rostand’s play, which made the literal plume a metaphor for Cyrano’s unflagging verve even in death. In a 1903 speech Rostand himself described panache: “A little frivolous perhaps, most certainly a little theatrical, panache is nothing but a grace which is so difficult to retain in the face of death, a grace which demands so much strength that, all the same, it is a grace … which I wish for all of us.”

Examples of panache in a Sentence

She played the role of hostess with great panache.

Recent Examples on the Web

But none match the prestige or panache of Eden Rock - St Barths. —Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2024

Hybrid & Company Hyper Ultra Stretch Skinny Pants With a skinny fit, button fly, and functional front and back pockets, these deep purple skinny pants will add style and panache to a variety of your cold-weather looks. —Jamie Allison Sanders, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024

Between the lush visuals and the scale of the damage Sam, Williams, and Eleanor are doing, there’s a chaotic glee and panache to the proceedings that are impossible to achieve as a lone gunman. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024

With 40 books that cover more than a century of men’s and women’s fashion history, McLean flagged ones about preppy style that continue to have a lasting influence among many, including Swift’s panache for plaid pleated skirts. —Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French pennache, from Old Italian pennacchio, from Late Latin pinnaculum small wing — more at pinnacle

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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