coup de foudre

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English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French coup de foudre (lightning strike).

Noun

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coup de foudre (plural coups de foudre)

  1. A sudden unexpected event, especially an emotional one; love at first sight.
    • 2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, published 2008, page 84:
      The encounter with Laura that Good Friday was a coup de foudre, and for the rest of his life he was to adore her, mostly from afar.
    • 2023, Pamela Anderson, Love, Pamela[1], →ISBN:
      They immediately fell madly in love. A lightning bolt. Coup de foudre.

French

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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coup de foudre m (plural coups de foudre)

  1. lightning strike, thunderbolt
    Coordinate term: coup de tonnerre
  2. (figuratively) love at first sight
    Near-synonym: coup de cœur
    Quand j’ai fait la connaissance de Henri, ç’a été le coup de foudre!When I met Henri, it was love at first sight!

Italian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French coup de foudre.

Noun

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coup de foudre m (invariable)

  1. coup de foudre
    Synonym: colpo di fulmine