embarras
See also: embarrás
English edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
embarras (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 edit
Etymology edit
From embarrasser (“embarrass”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
embarras m (plural embarras)
- embarrassment
- obstacle, hindrance
- lack of money
Antonyms edit
Derived 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 edit
Spanish edit
Verb edit
embarras