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beau geste

beau geste

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day · Merriam-Webster

May 7, 20082m 5s

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2008 is: beau geste • \boh-ZHEST\  • noun 1 : a graceful or magnanimous gesture 2 : an ingratiating conciliatory gesture Examples: Rather than compete against his best friend for the scholarship, Brayden gallantly stepped aside, a beau geste that Anthony never forgot. Did you know? "Beau geste" is a phrase borrowed from French; the literal translation is "beautiful gesture." Beau Geste is also the title of a 1924 novel by Percival Christopher Wren, featuring three English brothers who join the French Foreign Legion to repair their family honor. The novel spawned several film versions, including one starring Gary Cooper. Wren didn't invent the phrase "beau geste," which first appeared in print in 1900, but the publicity surrounding the novel and subsequent films likely contributed to the expression's popularity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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word a daymerriam-webstermerriamwebsterdictionarywordsword of the dayenglishvocabularylanguageword