Engoument

/ˌɑ̃ɡumɑ̃/ noun

Definition

variant or alternative spelling of engouement; passionate infatuation or a temporary craze.

Etymology

This is a variant spelling of engouement from French, with the -ment suffix indicating an abstract noun. Variant spellings sometimes occurred when borrowing from French due to inconsistent pronunciation guides.

Kelly Says

The existence of spelling variants like 'engoument' and 'engouement' reminds us that English borrowed French words before standardized spelling existed—printers and writers had to guess at English spellings for French sounds, which is why some French loanwords have multiple acceptable spellings.

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