What does élan in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word élan in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use élan in French.

The word élan in French means run-up, impetus, urge, desire, momentum, elk, clip 's wings, brought up short, stopped in his tracks, give new impetus to your career, rush of nostalgia, élan vital, carried away by enthusiasm, be stopped in your tracks, lose momentum, gather speed, gather momentum, take a run-up, get into the swing of things, approach run. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word élan

run-up

nom masculin (prise de vitesse)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le perchiste prend son élan pour sauter.
The pole-vaulter takes a long run-up at each jump.

impetus

nom masculin (impulsion)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Avec ses idées, il donne un nouvel élan à la société.
With his ideas, he's giving the firm a new impetus.

urge, desire

nom masculin (mouvement d'amour) (sexual)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Il est surpris par ses élans amoureux.
ⓘCette phrase n'est pas une traduction de la phrase originale. She was overwhelmed by a rush of affection.

momentum

nom masculin (énergie motrice)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Sans pédaler, la bicyclette continuait sur son élan.
Without pedaling, the bicycle held its momentum.

elk

nom masculin (orignal, sorte de grand cerf)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les élans sont des animaux des pays nordiques.
Elks are animals found in Nordic countries.

clip 's wings

locution verbale (restreindre une avancée)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

brought up short, stopped in his tracks

locution adjectivale (arrêté de façon inattendue)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

give new impetus to your career

locution verbale (entreprendre de nouvelles choses)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

rush of nostalgia

nom masculin (nostalgie passagère)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

élan vital

nom masculin (théorie philosophique de Bergson) (Bergsonian philosophy)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La spontanéité créatrice caractérise l'élan vital.

carried away by enthusiasm

locution adjectivale (emballé, enthousiaste) (colloquial)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

be stopped in your tracks

locution verbale (être interrompu) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

lose momentum

locution verbale (s'élancer)

gather speed, gather momentum

locution verbale (atteindre une vitesse suffisante)

L’athlète prend son élan et pousse sur la perche pour franchir la barre des 5 mètres 80.

take a run-up

locution verbale (courir avant un saut)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
L'athlète prit son élan avant de sauter.

get into the swing of things

locution verbale (figuré (se préparer à [qch]) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Marie n'a pas assez pris son élan avant son entretien.

approach run

nom féminin (course d'élan)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.