revanche

noun

re·vanche | \ rə-ˈväⁿsh

How to pronounce revanche (audio)

\

Definition of revanche

: revenge especially : a usually political policy designed to recover lost territory or status

Other Words from revanche Did You Know? Learn More about revanche

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

Revanche first appeared in English in the mid-19th century, deriving, along with our noun "revenge," from the Middle French verb revenchier ("to revenge"). The word developed its specific political application in the years following the Franco-German War (1870-71), which resulted in France losing the territory known as Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. (The territory was returned to France following World War I and then twice switched hands again during World War II.) Although "revanche" appears occasionally in English today, you are more likely to encounter its relatives "revanchism," which refers to a government's policy of revanche, and "revanchist," referring to a follower of such a policy. These words did not appear in English until the 20th century.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about revanche

Listen to Our Podcast about revanche

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near revanche

revascularization

Statistics for revanche

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for revanche

The first known use of revanche was in 1853

See more words from the same year

WORD OF THE DAY

inexorable

not to be persuaded, moved, or stopped

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Latin Quiz

Which of the following months comes from a Latin word for “ten”?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ