verve
/vɜːv/ noun
- noun Enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist, musician, or writer, in composing or performing.
- noun (obsolete) A particular skill in writing.
Synonyms
brio élan liveliness moxie panache vivacity dash action ardor alacrity celerity energy joie de vivre enthusiasm exuberance exuberantness fanaticism fervor gusto purpose vitality
Etymology
Borrowed from French verve (“animation; caprice, whim; rapture; spirit; vigour; type of expression”), probably from Late Latin verva, a variant of Latin verba (“words; discourse; expressions; language”), the plural of verbum (“word”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (“to say, speak”). Doublet of verb and word.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Excitement of imagination such as animates a poet, artist, or musician, in composing or performing; rapture; enthusiasm; spirit; energy.
Etymology [F.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “verve”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details