avant-garde

See also: avantgarde and Avantgarde

English

WOTD – 31 January 2012

Alternative forms

• avantgarde

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French avant-garde (“vanguard”). Doublet of vanguard and vaward.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /æˈvɑ̃t.ɡɑːd/, /æˈvɑ̃.ɡɑːd/, /ˌæ.vɑ̃ˈɡɑːd/, /ˈæ.vn̩t.ɡɑːd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɑˌvɑntˈɡɑɹd/, /əˌvɑntˈɡɑɹd/, /ˌæ.vɑntˈɡɑɹd/, /ˌɑˌvæntˈɡɑɹd/, /əˌvæntˈɡɑɹd/, /ˌɑˌvɑ̃ˈɡɑɹd/, /ˌæˌvɑ̃ˈɡɑɹd/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

avant-garde (plural avant-gardes)

1. (obsolete) The vanguard of an army or other force.

   Antonym: arrière-garde

2. Any group of people who invent or promote new techniques or concepts, especially in the arts.

   Antonym: arrière-garde

Translations

(obsolete) the vanguard of an army or other force

• Catalan: avantguarda (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 前衛／前卫 (zh) (qiánwèi)

• Finnish: etujoukko
• French: avant-garde (fr) f
• German: Vorhut (de) f
• Italian: avanguardia (it) f
• Japanese: 前衛 (ja) (zen'ei)
• Macedonian: аванга́рда f (avangárda)
• Polish: awangarda (pl) f
• Portuguese: vanguarda (pt) f
• Romanian: avangardă (ro) f
• Russian: аванга́рд (ru) m (avangárd), головно́й отря́д m (golovnój otrjád), передово́й отря́д m (peredovój otrjád)
• Spanish: vanguardia (es) f, anteguardia f
• Thai: แนวหน้า (nɛɛo-nâa)

group of people promoting new concepts

• Aragonese: abantguarda f
• Bengali: অগ্রপথিক (bn) (ogropothik)
• Catalan: avantguarda (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 前衛派／前卫派

• Czech: avantgarda f
• Danish: avantgarde (da)
• Finnish: avantgardistit pl, etujoukko
• French: avant-garde (fr) f
• Georgian: ავანგარდი (avangardi)
• German: Avantgarde (de) f, Vorhut (de) f, Vorreiter (de) pl or m, Vorkämpfer (de) pl or m, Pioniere (de) pl or f
• Hebrew: אוונגרדי (he)
• Italian: avanguardia (it) f
• Japanese: 前衛 (ja) (zen'ei)
• Korean: 전위 (ko) (jeonwi)
• Macedonian: авангарди́ст m (avangardíst)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: avantgarde m

  Nynorsk: avantgarde m

• Persian: آوانگارد (fa) (âvângârd)
• Polish: awangarda (pl) f
• Portuguese: vanguarda (pt) f
• Russian: аванга́рд (ru) m (avangárd), авангарди́сты (ru) m pl (avangardísty)
• Spanish: vanguardia (es) f

Adjective

avant-garde (comparative more avant-garde, superlative most avant-garde)

1. Innovative, pioneering, especially when extremely or obviously so.

   It was a very avant-garde production.

   • 2014, James Dobson, Modesty and Self-Esteem‎^[1]:

     I fear she will pay a heavy price for the avant-garde ideas she has been sold.

Synonyms

• mistakenly trendy
• (outside the mainstream): underground
• See also Thesaurus:innovation

Translations

innovative, pioneering, especially when extremely or obviously so

• Belarusian: авангарды́сцкі (avanhardýscki)
• Catalan: avantguardista
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 前衛／前卫 (zh) (qiánwèi), 先鋒／先锋 (zh) (xiānfēng)

• Estonian: avangardistlik, avangardne
• Finnish: avantgardistinen
• Galician: vangardista
• Georgian: ავანგარდისტული (avangardisṭuli)
• German: avantgardistisch (de)
• Hungarian: avantgárd (hu)
• Japanese: 前衛的 (ja) (zen'eiteki)
• Macedonian: авангарди́стички (avangardístički)
• Malay: avant-garde
• Polish: awangardowy (pl) m
• Portuguese: vanguardista
• Russian: авангарди́стский (ru) (avangardístskij), аванга́рдный (ru) (avangárdnyj)
• Spanish: vanguardista (es)
• Ukrainian: авангарди́стський (avanhardýstsʹkyj), аванга́рдний (uk) (avanhárdnyj)

See also

• leading edge

Finnish

Etymology

< French avant-garde

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑʋɑntˌɡɑrde/, [ˈɑ̝ʋɑ̝n̪t̪ˌɡɑ̝rde̞]
• IPA^(key): /ˈɑʋɑn(t)ˌɡɑːr(d)/, [ˈɑ̝ʋɑ̝n(t̪)ˌɡɑ̝ːr(d)]
• Rhymes: -ɑrde
• Syllabification^(key): a‧vant‧gar‧de

Noun

avant-garde

1. Synonym of avantgardismi.

Declension

Inflection of avant-garde (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		avant-garde	—
genitive		avant-garden	—
partitive		avant-gardea	—
illative		avant-gardeen	—
		singular	plural
nominative		avant-garde	—
accusative	nom.	avant-garde	—
	gen.	avant-garden
genitive		avant-garden	—
partitive		avant-gardea	—
inessive		avant-gardessa	—
elative		avant-gardesta	—
illative		avant-gardeen	—
adessive		avant-gardella	—
ablative		avant-gardelta	—
allative		avant-gardelle	—
essive		avant-gardena	—
translative		avant-gardeksi	—
abessive		avant-gardetta	—
instructive		—	—
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of avant-garde (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative avant-gardeni — accusative nom. avant-gardeni — gen. avant-gardeni genitive avant-gardeni — partitive avant-gardeani — inessive avant-gardessani — elative avant-gardestani — illative avant-gardeeni — adessive avant-gardellani — ablative avant-gardeltani — allative avant-gardelleni — essive avant-gardenani — translative avant-gardekseni — abessive avant-gardettani — instructive — — comitative — — second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative avant-gardesi — accusative nom. avant-gardesi — gen. avant-gardesi genitive avant-gardesi — partitive avant-gardeasi — inessive avant-gardessasi — elative avant-gardestasi — illative avant-gardeesi — adessive avant-gardellasi — ablative avant-gardeltasi — allative avant-gardellesi — essive avant-gardenasi — translative avant-gardeksesi — abessive avant-gardettasi — instructive — — comitative — — first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative avant-gardemme — accusative nom. avant-gardemme — gen. avant-gardemme genitive avant-gardemme — partitive avant-gardeamme — inessive avant-gardessamme — elative avant-gardestamme — illative avant-gardeemme — adessive avant-gardellamme — ablative avant-gardeltamme — allative avant-gardellemme — essive avant-gardenamme — translative avant-gardeksemme — abessive avant-gardettamme — instructive — — comitative — — second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative avant-gardenne — accusative nom. avant-gardenne — gen. avant-gardenne genitive avant-gardenne — partitive avant-gardeanne — inessive avant-gardessanne — elative avant-gardestanne — illative avant-gardeenne — adessive avant-gardellanne — ablative avant-gardeltanne — allative avant-gardellenne — essive avant-gardenanne — translative avant-gardeksenne — abessive avant-gardettanne — instructive — — comitative — — third-person possessor singular plural nominative avant-gardensa — accusative nom. avant-gardensa — gen. avant-gardensa genitive avant-gardensa — partitive avant-gardeaan avant-gardeansa — inessive avant-gardessaan avant-gardessansa — elative avant-gardestaan avant-gardestansa — illative avant-gardeensa — adessive avant-gardellaan avant-gardellansa — ablative avant-gardeltaan avant-gardeltansa — allative avant-gardelleen avant-gardellensa — essive avant-gardenaan avant-gardenansa — translative avant-gardekseen avant-gardeksensa — abessive avant-gardettaan avant-gardettansa — instructive — — comitative — —

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French avantgarde. By surface analysis, avant (“before, in front of”) +‎ garde (“guard”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.vɑ̃.ɡaʁd/

• Audio (Vosges, France)

  (file)

Noun

avant-garde f (plural avant-gardes)

1. (military) vanguard [since mid-12th c.]

   Antonym: arrière-garde

   • 1879, Alfred Barbou, Les Trois Républiques françaises : Histoire populaire de la République en France [The Three French Republics: People's history of the Republic in France], A. Duquesne:

     Le 11 décembre, les avant-gardes ennemies étaient signalées aux environs de Château-Thierry.

     On December 11, the enemy vanguard was reported in the vicinity of Château-Thierry.

2. (figuratively) avant-garde, firing line [since mid-16th c.]

Derived terms

• avant-gardisme
• avant-gardiste
• d’avant-garde

 

Descendants

• → Danish: avantgarde
• → English: avant-garde
• → German: Avantgarde
• → Korean: 아방가르드 (abanggareudeu)
• → Norwegian Bokmål: avantgarde
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: avantgarde
• → Swedish: avantgarde
• → Turkish: avangart

Further reading

• “avant-garde”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle French

Noun

avant-garde f (plural avant-gardes)

1. (military) vanguard