panache

noun

pa·nache pə-ˈnash

-ˈnäsh

: an ornamental tuft (as of feathers) especially on a helmet

The palace guard had a panache on his helmet.

: dash or flamboyance in style and action : verve

flashed his … smile and waved with the panache of a big-city mayor—

Joe Morgenstern

Did you know?

Few literary characters can match the panache of French poet and soldier Cyrano de Bergerac, from Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play of the same name. In his dying moments, Cyrano declares that the one thing left to him is his panache, and that assertion at once demonstrates the meaning of the word and draws upon its history. In both French and English, panache (which traces back to Late Latin pinnaculum, “small wing”) originally referred to a showy, feathery plume on a hat or helmet; our familiar figurative sense debuted in the first English translation of Rostand’s play, which made the literal plume a metaphor for Cyrano’s unflagging verve even in death. In a 1903 speech Rostand himself described panache: “A little frivolous perhaps, most certainly a little theatrical, panache is nothing but a grace which is so difficult to retain in the face of death, a grace which demands so much strength that, all the same, it is a grace … which I wish for all of us.”

Examples of panache in a Sentence

She played the role of hostess with great panache.

Recent Examples on the Web But none do it with quite the same panache as Diptyque’s Softening and Comforting Hand Wash and Velvet Lotion. —

Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 14 May 2024 Now 50, Best is the picture of panache who could easily be mistaken for an off-duty rock star. —

Carlos Aguilar, New York Times, 3 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for panache

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'panache.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.