penchant

American  

[pen-chuhnt, pahn-shahn] / ˈpɛn tʃənt, pɑ̃ˈʃɑ̃ /

noun

1. a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something.

   a penchant for outdoor sports.

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penchant British  

/ ˈpɒŋʃɒŋ /

noun

1. a strong inclination or liking; bent or taste

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penchant Idioms  

1. see have a penchant for.

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Etymology

Origin of penchant

1665–75; < French, noun use of present participle of pencher to incline, lean < Vulgar Latin *pendicāre, derivative of Latin pendēre to hang

Explanation

A penchant is a strong preference or tendency. If you have a penchant for pizza, you either eat it daily or wish you did. Penchant borrows from French, in which penchant literally means inclined. It goes back to the Latin pendere, for hanging, which is also the source of pendant. In both French and English, speakers have long used the idea of inclination metaphorically: a hillside can be inclined in one direction or another, and so can a person's thoughts. But in English, penchant is only for desires.

Related Words

• affection
• affinity
• predilection
• proclivity
• propensity
• taste
• tendency
• weakness