farouche

[ fa-roosh ]

adjective

, French.

1. fierce.
2. sullenly unsociable or shy.

farouche

/ faruʃ /

adjective

1. sullen or shy
2. socially inept

Word History and Origins

Origin of farouche¹

First recorded in 1760–70; from French, from Old French faro(u)che, forasche; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Late Latin forāsticus “belonging outside or out of doors” (i.e., not fit to be inside), a derivative of the adverb and preposition forās (also forīs ) “(to the) outside, abroad”; door ( def ); savage ( def ) for similar semantic development

Word History and Origins

Origin of farouche¹

C18: from French, from Old French faroche , from Late Latin forasticus from without, from Latin foras out of doors

Example Sentences

Clinch’s Marley is one of the great farouche characters, at once frightening and dangerously attractive.

From New York Times

Guileless, farouche, wholly uninhibited in her reading of Marston's choreography, she projects a reach-out-and-touch-me naturalness that compels both pity and wonder.

From The Guardian

But nowadays the truly farouche is but a curl of wood smoke in a hacked about forest clearing: soon it will be dispersed forever by the gritty wind of civilisation.

From The Guardian

She grows up farouche and ungovernable and, on her 16th birthday, sneaks out for a rendezvous with the royal gamekeeper, Leo.

From The Guardian

Their love was discovered and the count had the page lashed to a wild horse—un cheval farouche, as Voltaire has it—which was turned loose.

From Project Gutenberg