English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French au courant (literally to the current).

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /əʊ kʊˈɹɒn(t)/
  • (US) IPA(key): /oʊ kʊɹˈɑnt/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

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au courant (comparative more au courant, superlative most au courant)

  1. Up to date; informed about the latest developments; abreast.
    • 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis. [], volume I, London: Bradbury and Evans, [], published 1849, →OCLC, page 135:
      Doctor Portman and Smirke were both cautious of informing the widow of the constant outbreak of calumny which was pursuing poor Pen, though Glanders, who was a friend of the house, kept him au courant.
    • 2013 October 23, Meghan O’Rourke, “Watching American Movies in Paris”, in The Atlantic[1]:
      As Hemingway once noted, Paris is an old city—and so even a 1946 film looks au courant: part of the aesthetic air.
    • 2018 May 2, Catherine Taylor, “Vernon Subutex 1 by Virginie Despentes review – foul-mouthed satire of modern France”, in The Guardian[2], →ISSN:
      Its hipness recalls the films of Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax, making for an intoxicating blend of the retro and au courant.
    • 2023 February 11, Janan Ganesh, “After Germany's fall, which is the paragon nation?”, in FT Weekend, page 22:
      A paragon from the Global South, as no one I know who lives there calls it, would be very 21st century, very au courant.
    • 2023 March 22, Joseph Bernstein, “Not Your Daddy’s Freud”, in The New York Times[3], →ISSN:
      “Know Your Enemy,” an au courant lefty podcast, has devoted multiple episodes to discussions of Freud, who has become a frequent topic of conversation among the show’s hosts.

Synonyms

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Translations

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French

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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au courant (invariable)

  1. up to date, abreast; aware, informed, in the loop
    Synonyms: (informal) au parfum, (informal) au jus
    La mère de Julie est décédée la semaine passée, tu étais au courant ?Julie's mother passed away last week – were you aware?

Usage notes

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Traditionally invariable, but feminization (as in the expression elle est au courante), though perhaps prescribed, is not unheard-of.

Derived terms

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