flamboyant

See also: Flamboyant

English

WOTD – 10 July 2016

flamboyant costumes worn during the Carnival period in Brazil

flamboyant or royal poinciana, a tropical tree

Flamboyant Gothic tracery

Alternative forms

• Flamboyant (architecture)

Etymology

Borrowed from French flamboyant (“flaming, wavy”), participle of flamboyer (“to flame”), from Old French flamboier, from flambe (“flame”). The architectural style derives its name from the flame-like shapes in the tracery.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /flamˈbɔɪ.ənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /flæmˈbɔɪ.(j)ənt/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /flæmˈbɔɪ.(j)ənt/

  • Audio (General Australian):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: flam‧boy‧ant
• Rhymes: -ɔɪ.ənt

Adjective

flamboyant (comparative more flamboyant, superlative most flamboyant)

1. Showy, bold or audacious in behaviour, appearance, style, etc.; ostentatious.
   • 1902, G. K. Chesterton, “The Optimism of Byron”, in Twelve Types:

     When we see some of the monstrous and flamboyant blossoms that enrich the equatorial woods, we do not feel that they are conflagrations of nature; silent explosions of her frightful energy. We simply find it hard to believe that they are not wax flowers grown under a glass case.

   • 1920, Frederic Taber Cooper, The Craftsmanship of Writing, Chapter VI: The Question of Clearness,

     But a scorn of flamboyant neckties and checkerboard trousers is no excuse for going to the opposite extreme of a blue flannel shirt and overalls; […] .

   • 1962 May 12, Douglas MacArthur, Duty, honor, country:

     The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase.

   • 2023 June 12, Angela Giuffrida, Lorenzo Tondo, “Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-ridden former Italian prime minister, dies aged 86”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Health of flamboyant media tycoon who led three Italian governments had deteriorated in recent years[.]

2. (architecture) Referring to the final stage of French Gothic architecture from the 14th to the 16th centuries.
   • 1891, Sabine Baring-Gould, chapter XIX, in In Troubadour-Land: A Ramble in Provence and Languedoc, Avignon:

     S. Pierre is a flamboyant church, the details passing into Renaissance.

   • 1911, “Bruges”, in Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition:

     The second is a chapel of two storeys, the lower dating from 1150, while the upper was rebuilt in the 15th century, and there is a rich Flamboyant entrance with a stairway (1533).

   • 1913, “Abbey of Saint-Ouen”, in Catholic Encyclopedia:

     The nave and central tower, more flamboyant in design, were finished early in the sixteenth century after the original plan.

3. Of a blade: forged in a wavy, undulating pattern, like a flame-bladed sword or a kris.

   Synonym: serpentine

   • 1851 April 12, William John Bernhard-Smith, Notes and Queries, volume s1-III, number 76, London: Bell & Daldy, →ISSN, page 292:

     Ancient swords were frequently “flamboyant,” or with waved edges; more especially those used for purposes of state. The Dukes of Burgundy bore a two-handed sword of this form. Indeed, “flaming swords,” as they were called, were worn down to the times of our Charles II., and perhaps later.

Derived terms

• flamboyance
• flamboyancy
• flamboyant cuttlefish
• flamboyantly
• flamboyantness
• unflamboyance
• unflamboyant
• unflamboyantly

Translations

showy, bold or audacious in behaviour, appearance, etc.

Bulgarian: ярък (bg) (jarǎk), цветист (bg) (cvetist), пищен (bg) (pišten) Catalan: flamant (ca), aparatós Danish: flamboyant Dutch: extravagant (nl), flamboyant (nl) Finnish: pramea (fi), mahtaileva (fi) French: extravagant (fr) m German: extravagant (de), prächtig (de), üppig (de), überladen (de), grell (de), schrill (de), auffallend (de), farbenprächtig (colors) Irish: péacógach, taibhseach, stráiciúil, gáifeach Italian: stravagante (it) m Maori: hahaki, whakameremere Polish: kwiecisty (pl), krzykliwy (pl), przesadny (pl) Portuguese: extravagante (pt) Romanian: flamboiant, extravagant (ro) Russian: напы́щенный (ru) (napýščennyj), эпата́жный (ru) (epatážnyj) (startling), цвети́стый (ru) (cvetístyj) (florid), я́ркий (ru) (járkij) (bright) Spanish: extravagante (es), exuberante (es), vistoso (es), ostentoso (es), churrigueresco Turkish: gösterişli (tr), havalı (tr) (informal), abartılı (tr)

referring to the final stage of French Gothic architecture from the 14th to the 16th centuries

Chinese: Mandarin: 炫耀 (zh) (xuànyào) Danish: flamboyant Dutch: flamboyant (nl) Finnish: mahtaileva (fi) French: flamboyant (fr) Romanian: flamboiant Russian: пламене́ющий (ru) (plamenéjuščij) Spanish: flamígero (es)

Noun

flamboyant (plural flamboyants)

1. The royal poinciana (Delonix regia), a showy tropical tree from Madagascar.
   • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter 45, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:

     The schooners moored to the quay are trim and neat, the little town along the bay is white and urbane, and the flamboyants, scarlet against the blue sky, flaunt their colour like a cry of passion.

Translations

tree

Assamese: কৃষ্ণচূড়া (krisnosura) Bambara: tùbabunɛrɛ Bengali: কৃষ্ণচূড়া (bn) (kriśnocuṛa) Burmese: စိန်ပန်းပင် (cinpan:pang) Chinese: Mandarin: 鳳凰木 / 凤凰木 (zh) (fènghuángmù) Dutch: flamboyant (nl) m Finnish: liekkipuu (fi) French: flamboyant (fr) m German: Flammenbaum Hindi: गुलमोहर (hi) (gulmohar) Hungarian: tűzvirágfa (hu), lángfa (hu) Indonesian: flamboyan (id) Italian: albero di fuoco m Japanese: ホウオウボク (hōōboku) Kannada: ಗುಲ್ಮಹರ್ (gulmahar) Korean: 봉황목 (bonghwangmok) Malagasy: fengoka (mg), alamboronala (mg) Malayalam: ഗുൽ‌മോഹർ (gul‌mōhaṟ) Marathi: गुलमोहर (gulmohar) Nepali: गुलमोहर (gulmohar) Odia: କୃଷ୍ଣଚୂଡ଼ା (or) (kruṣṇacuṛā) Portuguese: flamboyant (pt) m, flamboiã (pt) m, acácia-rubra f Punjabi: ਗੁਲਮੋਹਰ (pa) (gulmohar) Russian: дело́никс короле́вский m (delóniks korolévskij), о́гненное де́рево n (ógnennoje dérevo) Spanish: acacia f (Venezuela), acacia roja f (Colombia), árbol de fuego m (El Salvador), chivato m (Argentina, Paraguay), flamboyán m (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico), framboyán m (Cuba), malinche m (Costa Rica, Nicaragua), pajarilla f (Bolivia), tabachín m (Mexico), ponciana f (Peru) Swahili: please add this translation if you can Tagalog: puno ng apoy Tamil: செம்மயிர்க்கொன்றை (cemmayirkkoṉṟai) Telugu: తురాయి (te) (turāyi) Tongan: ʻōhai lahi Turkish: ateş ağacı (tr) Vietnamese: phượng (vi), phượng vĩ

Further reading

• flamboyant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Delonix regia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from French flamboyant (“flaming, wavy”), present participle of flamboyer (“to flame, blaze”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flamborjant/, [flɑmb̥oɐ̯ˈjanˀd̥] or IPA^(key): /flamboajant/, [flɑmb̥oɑˈjanˀd̥]

Adjective

flamboyant

1. flamboyant, magnificent, opulent

Inflection

Inflection of flamboyant

	positive	comparative	superlative
indefinite common singular	flamboyant	—	—2
indefinite neuter singular	flamboyant	—	—2
plural	flamboyante	—	—2
definite attributive1	flamboyante	—	—

¹ When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
² The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Synonyms

• overdådig
• pragtfuld
• prægtig
• strålende

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flɑ̃.bwa.jɑ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Participle

flamboyant

1. present participle of flamboyer

Adjective

flamboyant (feminine flamboyante, masculine plural flamboyants, feminine plural flamboyantes)

1. flaming (also heraldry)
2. flamboyant

Descendants

• → Danish: flamboyant
• → English: flamboyant
• → German: flamboyant
• → Romanian: flamboiant

Noun

French Wikipedia has an article on:

flamboyant

Wikipedia ^fr

flamboyant m (plural flamboyants)

1. flamboyant (Delonix regia)

Derived terms

• flamboyant bleu
• petit flamboyant

Descendants

• → English: flamboyant
• → Portuguese: flamboaiã, flamboyant (unadapted), flamboiã, flambuaiã
• → Spanish: flamboyán, framboyán

Further reading

• “flamboyant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French flamboyant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [flãbo̯aˈjant]
• Hyphenation: flam‧bo‧yant

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Germany):

  (file)

Adjective

flamboyant (strong nominative masculine singular flamboyanter, comparative flamboyanter, superlative am flamboyantesten)

1. flamboyant

Declension

Positive forms of flamboyant

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist flamboyant	sie ist flamboyant	es ist flamboyant	sie sind flamboyant
strong declension (without article)	nominative	flamboyanter	flamboyante	flamboyantes	flamboyante
	genitive	flamboyanten	flamboyanter	flamboyanten	flamboyanter
	dative	flamboyantem	flamboyanter	flamboyantem	flamboyanten
	accusative	flamboyanten	flamboyante	flamboyantes	flamboyante
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der flamboyante	die flamboyante	das flamboyante	die flamboyanten
	genitive	des flamboyanten	der flamboyanten	des flamboyanten	der flamboyanten
	dative	dem flamboyanten	der flamboyanten	dem flamboyanten	den flamboyanten
	accusative	den flamboyanten	die flamboyante	das flamboyante	die flamboyanten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein flamboyanter	eine flamboyante	ein flamboyantes	(keine) flamboyanten
	genitive	eines flamboyanten	einer flamboyanten	eines flamboyanten	(keiner) flamboyanten
	dative	einem flamboyanten	einer flamboyanten	einem flamboyanten	(keinen) flamboyanten
	accusative	einen flamboyanten	eine flamboyante	ein flamboyantes	(keine) flamboyanten

Comparative forms of flamboyant

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist flamboyanter	sie ist flamboyanter	es ist flamboyanter	sie sind flamboyanter
strong declension (without article)	nominative	flamboyanterer	flamboyantere	flamboyanteres	flamboyantere
	genitive	flamboyanteren	flamboyanterer	flamboyanteren	flamboyanterer
	dative	flamboyanterem	flamboyanterer	flamboyanterem	flamboyanteren
	accusative	flamboyanteren	flamboyantere	flamboyanteres	flamboyantere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der flamboyantere	die flamboyantere	das flamboyantere	die flamboyanteren
	genitive	des flamboyanteren	der flamboyanteren	des flamboyanteren	der flamboyanteren
	dative	dem flamboyanteren	der flamboyanteren	dem flamboyanteren	den flamboyanteren
	accusative	den flamboyanteren	die flamboyantere	das flamboyantere	die flamboyanteren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein flamboyanterer	eine flamboyantere	ein flamboyanteres	(keine) flamboyanteren
	genitive	eines flamboyanteren	einer flamboyanteren	eines flamboyanteren	(keiner) flamboyanteren
	dative	einem flamboyanteren	einer flamboyanteren	einem flamboyanteren	(keinen) flamboyanteren
	accusative	einen flamboyanteren	eine flamboyantere	ein flamboyanteres	(keine) flamboyanteren

Superlative forms of flamboyant

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am flamboyantesten	sie ist am flamboyantesten	es ist am flamboyantesten	sie sind am flamboyantesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	flamboyantester	flamboyanteste	flamboyantestes	flamboyanteste
	genitive	flamboyantesten	flamboyantester	flamboyantesten	flamboyantester
	dative	flamboyantestem	flamboyantester	flamboyantestem	flamboyantesten
	accusative	flamboyantesten	flamboyanteste	flamboyantestes	flamboyanteste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der flamboyanteste	die flamboyanteste	das flamboyanteste	die flamboyantesten
	genitive	des flamboyantesten	der flamboyantesten	des flamboyantesten	der flamboyantesten
	dative	dem flamboyantesten	der flamboyantesten	dem flamboyantesten	den flamboyantesten
	accusative	den flamboyantesten	die flamboyanteste	das flamboyanteste	die flamboyantesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein flamboyantester	eine flamboyanteste	ein flamboyantestes	(keine) flamboyantesten
	genitive	eines flamboyantesten	einer flamboyantesten	eines flamboyantesten	(keiner) flamboyantesten
	dative	einem flamboyantesten	einer flamboyantesten	einem flamboyantesten	(keinen) flamboyantesten
	accusative	einen flamboyantesten	eine flamboyanteste	ein flamboyantestes	(keine) flamboyantesten

Further reading

• “flamboyant” in Duden online
• “flamboyant” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French flamboyant.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /flɐ̃.boˈjɐ̃/, /flɐ̃.bwaˈjɐ̃/

Noun

flamboyant m (plural flamboyants)

1. alternative spelling of flamboaiã

Further reading

• “flamboyant”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025
• “flamboyant”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025