Please forgive my fixation with French of German words. Read England's Sunday Times and you will come across many words you half know.
Leitmotif - this is what Wikipedia has to say:
A leitmotif or leitmotiv /ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf/ is a "short, constantly recurring musical phrase"[1] associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of idée fixe or motto-theme.[2] The spelling leitmotif is an anglicization of the German Leitmotiv, literally meaning "leading motif", or perhaps more accurately, "guiding motif". A musical motif has been defined as a "short musical idea ... melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic, or all three",[3] a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes ...
So now we have two words in French
idée fixe - idea fixed or fixed idea, fixation, obsessive repetition of an idea or symbol
French words
couturier - clothes designer (high class)
decor - as in decoration - what is deigned and added to the walls by the interior designer, the furnishings the style
grandeur - the quality of being grand
nuance - subtle suggestion, hint of another meaning
over - work, as in hors d'oevre - in English nowadays we would call it the starter, literally outside of (the) work; another word using o e v r e is manoeuvre a movement or manipulation, hand work (la main the hand)
panache - style, clout, swagger, ultimately from the Latin word pinna meaning feather, as in pinnacle
Latin
fratricide - killing a brother - from frater, brother, as in fraternity, or brotherhood
homicide - killing a man
insecticide - product which kills insects
matricide - killing a mother, from mater for mother, as in maternity
patricide - killing a father, from pater, as in paternity
pesticide - product which kills pests on plants
regicide - killing a king - from rex and regis king, as in Elizabeth Rex, queen Elizabeth,
suicide - killing oneself
Some more long words
banality - ordinariness
litany - list
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Leitmotif - this is what Wikipedia has to say:
A leitmotif or leitmotiv /ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf/ is a "short, constantly recurring musical phrase"[1] associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of idée fixe or motto-theme.[2] The spelling leitmotif is an anglicization of the German Leitmotiv, literally meaning "leading motif", or perhaps more accurately, "guiding motif". A musical motif has been defined as a "short musical idea ... melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic, or all three",[3] a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes ...
So now we have two words in French
idée fixe - idea fixed or fixed idea, fixation, obsessive repetition of an idea or symbol
French words
couturier - clothes designer (high class)
decor - as in decoration - what is deigned and added to the walls by the interior designer, the furnishings the style
grandeur - the quality of being grand
nuance - subtle suggestion, hint of another meaning
over - work, as in hors d'oevre - in English nowadays we would call it the starter, literally outside of (the) work; another word using o e v r e is manoeuvre a movement or manipulation, hand work (la main the hand)
panache - style, clout, swagger, ultimately from the Latin word pinna meaning feather, as in pinnacle
Latin
fratricide - killing a brother - from frater, brother, as in fraternity, or brotherhood
homicide - killing a man
insecticide - product which kills insects
matricide - killing a mother, from mater for mother, as in maternity
patricide - killing a father, from pater, as in paternity
pesticide - product which kills pests on plants
regicide - killing a king - from rex and regis king, as in Elizabeth Rex, queen Elizabeth,
suicide - killing oneself
Some more long words
banality - ordinariness
litany - list
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
