embarras
See also: embarrás
English
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
editembarras (plural embarras)
- (now rare) Embarrassment; confusion, uncertainty. [from 17th c.]
- 1906, Henry James, letter, 17 November:
- I […] envy & sympathise—being in all sorts of embarrass now, myself, over the finish of many things.
- 1906, Henry James, letter, 17 November:
- (now rare) An embarrassment; an obstacle or hindrance. [from 17th c.]
- 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:
- [O]ne day in his way to the opera, his chariot was stopped by an embarras in the street, occasioned by two peasants, who having driven their carts against each other, quarrelled, and went to loggerheads on the spot.
- (now rare) Embarrassment; intense social awkwardness. [from 18th c.]
- (now rare, historical, Canada, US) Specifically, a clump of driftwood obstructing a waterway. [from 19th c.]
French
editEtymology
editFrom embarrasser (“embarrass”).
Pronunciation
editNoun
editembarras m (plural embarras)
- embarrassment
- obstacle, hindrance
- lack of money
Antonyms
editDerived terms
edit- embarras du choix too many choices, an embarrassing wealth
References
edit- Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition
Further reading
edit- “embarras”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
editSpanish
editVerb
editembarras
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