bonhomie : M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for December 29 is:

bonhomie \bah-nuh-MEE\ noun
: good-natured easy friendliness

Example sentence:
We look forward every year to champagne and eggs benedict, served up with plenty of bonhomie, at our friend's annual New Year's Day brunch.

Did you know?
English speakers adapted "bonhomie" from the French "bonhomme," which means "good-natured man" and which is itself a composite of two other French words: "bon," meaning "good," and "homme," meaning "man." That French compound traces to two Latin terms, "bonus" (meaning "good") and "homo" (meaning either "man" or "human being"). English speakers have warmly embraced the French term and its meaning, but we have also anglicized the pronunciation in a way that may make native French speakers cringe. (We hope they will be good-natured about it!) At this festive time of year, "bonhomie" is also sometimes used to mean "an atmosphere of good cheer," so you might say a merry family party has a "holiday bonhomie."

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