Word of the Day

: March 28, 2011

farouche

adjective fuh-ROOSH

What It Means

1 : unruly or disorderly : wild

2 : marked by shyness and lack of social graces

farouche in Context

The writer’s publicist was often frustrated by her client, who was urbane and eloquent on the page but farouche when it came to meeting with fans and giving interviews.

"The girl is classical, farouche as a Jamesian heroine: she discloses her body in its spotless white swimming costume shyly, like a marble nymph." -- From Rachel Cusk's 2010 book The Last Supper: A Summer in Italy

Did You Know?

In French, "farouche" can mean wild or shy, just as it does in English. It is an alteration of the Old French word "forasche," which derives via Late Latin "forasticus" ("living outside") from Latin "foras," meaning "outdoors." In its earliest English uses, in the middle of the 18th century, "farouche" was used to describe someone who was awkward in social situations, perhaps as one who has lived apart from groups of people. The word can also mean "disorderly," as in "farouche ruffians out to cause trouble."