acte gratuit

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French acte gratuit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈækt ɡɹætˈwi/

Noun

acte gratuit (plural actes gratuits)

1. An impulsive act lacking motive.
   • 1971, Angela Carter, Shaking a Leg, Vintage (2013), page 294:

     He was a superlative showman and, if his career ended at the age of forty-five in an acte gratuit, he had, after all, been compared to André Gide.

References

• The Chambers Dictionary, 10th edition, 2006.