extraordinaire
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French extraordinaire. Doublet of extraordinary.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪkˌstɹɔː(ɹ).dɪˈnɛː(ɹ)/
Adjective
extraordinaire (not comparable)
- (postpositive) Extraordinary, remarkable, outstanding.
- (postpositive) (of a person) Particularly skilled; unusually active; particularly successful.
- He was a dancer extraordinaire.
- Charlie Parker, saxophonist extraordinaire, released many records.
Usage notes
- When used after a plural noun, the adjective is occasionally pluralized as extraordinaires like in French, so that (for example) both dancers extraordinaire and dancers extraordinaires can be found.
Noun
extraordinaire (uncountable)
- Something particularly remarkable or outstanding.
- 2012, Lonely Planet, Nicola Williams, Kerry Christiani, Lonely Planet Switzerland
- "The very best of Swiss dining in this essentially rural country is as much about experience as culinary extraordinaire."
- 2012, Lonely Planet, Nicola Williams, Kerry Christiani, Lonely Planet Switzerland
French
Alternative forms
- extraördinaire (obsolete)
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin extraordinārius.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɛk.stʁa.ɔʁ.di.nɛʁ/, /ɛk.stʁɔʁ.di.nɛʁ/
audio (file)
Adjective
extraordinaire (plural extraordinaires)
- extraordinary, out of the ordinary
- Antonym: ordinaire
Derived terms
- extraordinairement
Further reading
- “extraordinaire”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.