French Audiences Do Not Shout Encore
An encore is a repeated or additional performance. English uses a French word that French speakers do not use for this.
An encore is an extra performance given in response to applause. French audiences call for one by shouting *bis*, from the Latin for twice; *encore* simply means again, and asking for an encore in French would puzzle the performer. English took the wrong word in the eighteenth century and never gave it back.
- An extra performance. *Two encores.*
- A call for one. *Shouts of encore.*
- To demand a repeat. *The crowd encored him.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | encore | A final encore. |
| Plural | encores | Three encores. |
| Verb | encore | They encored the aria. |
| French equivalent | bis | Cries of bis. |
| Related | ovation | A standing ovation. |
How it is used in a sentence
- They played two encores.Extra numbers.
- French audiences shout *bis*.From Latin for twice.
- A standing ovation followed.From Latin *ovare*, to rejoice.
English words French would not recognise
- Encore — French says *bis*
- Double entendre — not current French
- Nom de plume — French uses *nom de guerre*
- Legerdemain — from a French phrase, but not a French word
- Rendezvous — genuinely French, but with a different range of use
From French *encore*, again or still, probably from Latin *hanc horam*, at this hour. The theatrical use is English, from the early eighteenth century.
Do French speakers say encore?
Not to request a repeat performance. They shout *bis*, from the Latin for twice.
Where does *ovation* come from?
From Latin *ovatio*, a lesser Roman triumph awarded for a victory not grand enough for a full one.