Saturday word: Bonhomie

[med_cat]

bon·​ho·​mie | \ ˌbä-nə-ˈmē, ˌbō- \, n.

: good-natured easy friendliness

(an undying bonhomie radiated from her— Jean Stafford)

Saw this word today in a headline in Wash Post:

"Kamala Harris once went after Joe Biden, but now there’s only bonhomie as the vice presidential tryouts continue."

Did You Know?

English speakers borrowed bonhomie from the French, where the word was created from bonhomme, which means "good-natured man" and is itself a composite of two other French words: bon, meaning "good," and homme, meaning "man." That French compound traces to two Latin terms, bonus (meaning "good") and homo (meaning either "man" or "human being"). English speakers have warmly embraced bonhomie and its meaning, but we have also anglicized the pronunciation in a way that may make native French speakers cringe. (We hope they will be good-natured about it!)

First known use: 1777