This is one of those familiar, but uncommon, words that we come across in print from time to time but are most unlikely to use in conversation.
If we read that some Aussie sports star performed with ‘élan’ we know (more or less) what is means—that they performed with a bit of style, energy and enthusiasm (or something along those lines).
This is one of the French-sourced words that doesn’t go all the way back to William the Conqueror and his French speaking Norman knights—it’s a much more recent borrowing, appearing in English only from around 1880 onwards.
And why it was borrowed is not at all clear.
I suppose we thought that there wasn’t one English word that said exactly this.
It comes from an earlier French borrowing élancer which meant ‘to throw.’
This is now a forgotten word that could be used figuratively to mean ‘throwing’ a glance at someone, but it could also be used literally to mean throwing a dart or a lance (a clearly related word, that means a spear of some sort).
And somehow this fancy French way of saying ‘throw’ became 'élan' more or less implying that in order to have élan you had to ‘throw’ yourself into something.
The lexicographers at the Merriam-Webster say: Elance enjoyed only a short flight in English, falling into disuse by the mid-19th century, around which time English speakers picked up élan, another French word that traces back to Middle French.
The earliest meaning of élan was an impetuous rush’ of troops into battle or anything of that sort. It means a combination of style and energetic confidence.
And my feeling is that mere energy is not enough to label some action or person as having élan—it also implies being stylish.
Although, the Merriam-Webster claims that 'élan' now means much the same as dash, spunk or vim.
I’m not so sure.
And if the pronunciation bothers you, you should say ay-LAHN which is not exactly how the French say it, but it is the Anglicised version of the French.
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