French Word of the Day: Rocambolesque
This French word is fun to say and might also improve your English.
Why do I need to know rocambolesque?
Because it is a fun word to say and a great way to give your French conversation some panache when you want to express disbelief about something.
What does it mean?
Rocambolesque - roughly pronounced rock-ahm-boe-lesk - means "incredible" and "extraordinary" and is used to describe something improbable.
For example, a rocambolesque story is one that is full of twists and extraordinary adventures.
The word derives from the fictional character Rocambole, an adventurer created by Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail, a 19th-century French writer.
The word rocambolesque has become common in French and other languages, including English, to label any kind of fantastic adventure.
Other words in French that get the same meaning across are bizarre or extravagant.
Use it like this
Une affaire tout à fait rocambolesque et inexplicable encore aujourd'hui. - An utterly incredible and as yet unexplained event.
Il a raconté une histoire rocambolesque et personne ne l'a cru, jusqu'à ce qu'il montre les photos - He told a ridiculous story, and no one believed him, until he showed the photographs.
Comments
See Also
Why do I need to know rocambolesque?
Because it is a fun word to say and a great way to give your French conversation some panache when you want to express disbelief about something.
What does it mean?
Rocambolesque - roughly pronounced rock-ahm-boe-lesk - means "incredible" and "extraordinary" and is used to describe something improbable.
For example, a rocambolesque story is one that is full of twists and extraordinary adventures.
The word derives from the fictional character Rocambole, an adventurer created by Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail, a 19th-century French writer.
The word rocambolesque has become common in French and other languages, including English, to label any kind of fantastic adventure.
Other words in French that get the same meaning across are bizarre or extravagant.
Use it like this
Une affaire tout à fait rocambolesque et inexplicable encore aujourd'hui. - An utterly incredible and as yet unexplained event.
Il a raconté une histoire rocambolesque et personne ne l'a cru, jusqu'à ce qu'il montre les photos - He told a ridiculous story, and no one believed him, until he showed the photographs.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.