vive la différence
See also: vive la difference
English
Alternative forms
- vive la difference
Etymology
Borrowed from French, literally “long live the difference”, from vive (“long live”) + la (“the”) + différence (“difference, diversity”).
Pronunciation
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌvivə lɑ ˌdɪfəˈɹɑns/
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˌviːv lɑː ˌdɪfəˈɹɒns/
Phrase
vive la différence
- (often humorous) Used to express appreciation of diversity, especially between the sexes; sometimes referring to cultural diversity, and more rarely to diversity of opinion, as in "let's agree to disagree".
- 2001 November 1, Sandra Díaz; Marcelo Cabido, “Vive la différence: plant functional diversity matters to ecosystem processes”, in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, volume 16, number 11, pages 646–655:
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Usage notes
- Often used as a humorous exclamation (e.g., by a man appreciating an attractive woman).
Synonyms
- long live the difference