Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·French ·1910s
Avant-garde
from avant-garde
- Meaning
- Experimental or innovative, especially in art.
- Source word
- avant-garde
- Route into English
- Old French *avant-garde* (military: the foremost part of a moving army) → English, first in the military sense (1400s), then generalised to art and culture in the 20th century.
- Arrived
- 1910s
From French
Beyond the Norman conquest's Old French foundation, English kept borrowing from French for art, cuisine, fashion, and diplomacy throughout the modern period.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.