penchant

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpɒŋʃɒŋ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈpɛntʃənt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(pen′chənt; Fr. pän shän′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pen•chant /ˈpɛntʃənt/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. a strong desire, interest, taste, or liking for something:a penchant for fast cars.
See -pend-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pen•chant  (pen′chənt; Fr. pän shän′),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something:a penchant for outdoor sports.
  • Vulgar Latin *pendicāre, derivative of Latin pendēre to hang
  • French, noun, nominal use of present participle of pencher to incline, lean
  • 1665–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
penchant / ˈpɒŋʃɒŋ/
  1. a strong inclination or liking; bent or taste
Etymology: 17th Century: from French, from pencher to incline, from Latin pendēre to be suspended
'penchant' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bent - inclination - leaning - mind - penché - propensity - weakness

Forum discussions with the word(s) "penchant" in the title:


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