Élan

(pronounced ay-lahn or ay-lan or ay-lah^N. In the last pronunciation, note that the ^N does not represent a consonant, and the ah is nasalized. Thus, the syllable lah^N rhymes with the first two syllables in the word "enfant terrible") noun

Definition

1. liveliness and vigor; forceful and energetic enthusiasm; spiritedness in action and style; panache. 2. distinguishing elegance or style.

Main Example

Cyd Charisse, who died a few weeks ago at the age of 86, will be long remembered for her roles in MGM movie musicals of the 1940s and 50s, most notably "Singin' in the Rain" with Gene Kelly and "The Band Wagon" with Fred Astaire. Because of the great élan with which Charisse danced, she has been described by some as "the greatest dancer on film ever."

Workplace Examples

One of the special strengths of our manager, Walt, is that at moments when things look discouraging and some of us have begun to pursue a department goal with, say, less élan, he is able to quickly reinvigorate and inspire us into stepping up our level of performance.
Sometimes, when waiting for a table at a busy restaurant, I try to get a peep at the kitchen. It's always fun to see the élan with which a chef goes about his myriad simultaneous tasks.

Other Examples

speaking about the upcoming all-new edition of "The Articulate Professional," expected to be released by the end of July, this author saying: "Because many of the featured words are so vivid and evocative, the book will help you inject some élan into your key communications, and thus affect your audience more than you would otherwise."
[Sample pages from the book will be posted on verbalenergy.com within about two weeks. To order your copy, send $25.00, which includes shipping within the U.S., by check made payable to V.J. Singal. Address: P.O. Box 841155, Houston, TX 77284-1155. Alternatively, to pay by PayPal, visit the order page on www.verbalenergy.com. For questions, call 281-463-2500. The book will also be available from Amazon.com in due course.]
thanks to her infectious spirit, an elementary school teacher able to get her students to recite nursery rhymes with particular élan; a high school band performing with élan
after successfully experimenting with select gene removal in tiny worms, scientists hopeful that one day a similar procedure will enable 100-year-old humans to play tennis with the dash and élan of someone in his or her early twenties
the élan with which the late Tim Russert interviewed his guests on NBC's "Meet the Press"
President John F. Kennedy's unique brand of élan during his speeches and press conferences