bonjour
See also: Bonjour
English
Etymology
From French bonjour (“good afternoon/good day/good morning”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): (without the pour–poor merger) /bɒnˈʒʊə/, /bɒ̃ˈʒʊə/, /bɒnˈd͡ʒʊə/; (pour–poor merger) /bɒnˈd͡ʒɔː/, /bɒnˈʒɔː/
Audio (Southern England); /bɒnˈd͡ʒɔː/: (file)
- (US) IPA(key): (without the pour–poor merger) /bɑnˈʒʊəɹ/, /bɑnˈd͡ʒʊəɹ/, (pour–poor merger) /bɑnˈd͡ʒoɹ/, /bɑnˈʒoɹ/
- Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ)
Interjection
bonjour
- (in French contexts) Good morning; hello.
- 2009 March 13, Alexandra Jacobs, “Blame the Messager”, in New York Times[1]:
- Say bonjour to the botched R.S.V.P. The practice of replying to invitations, let alone actually showing up to parties as promised, has become as antiquated as the chimney sweep, and much messier.
Translations
hello — see hello
Verb
bonjour (third-person singular simple present bonjours, present participle bonjouring, simple past and past participle bonjoured)
- (ambitransitive) To greet in French with "bonjour".
- 1938, Donald Barr Chidsey, Each one was alone:
- He went on down the boulevard, bonjouring right and left, lifting his hat, bowing. He moved very slowly.
- 1988, Gary Hart, The Strategies of Zeus:
- Connaughton entered the simple but cheery restaurant, checked his coat, bonjoured the maître d'...
- 2005, James H Irwin, Mokanshan: A Tale of Wallis Simpson's Naughty Shanghai Postcards:
- They bonjoured back and stood there awkwardly. Finally, Flood broke the silence.
French
Etymology
Inherited from Middle French bonjour, from Old French bon jor (literally “good day”). By surface analysis, bon (“good”) + jour (“day”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/
- Homophone: Bonjour
Noun
bonjour m (plural bonjours)
- greetings; hello (general salutation)
- Tu passeras le bonjour à ta mère !
- You will say hello to your mother!
- (literally, “You will pass a hello to your mother!”)
Interjection
bonjour
- good day; good afternoon
- Bonjour, mon ami !
- Good day, friend!
- Bonjour, monsieur le Président !
- Good afternoon, Mr. President!
- (North America) goodbye
Synonyms
- salut (familiar)
- bonjour/hi (Montréal)
- beaujour (Missouri)
- boujou (Normandy)
Antonyms
Derived terms
- bonjour les dégâts
- bonjourer
- rebonjour
- simple comme bonjour
Related terms
Descendants
- Antillean Creole: bonjou
- Haitian Creole: bonjou
- Louisiana Creole: bonjou
- Mauritian Creole: bonzour
- → Alemannic German: buschur
- → English: bonjour
Further reading
- “bonjour”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Indonesian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French bonjour (“greetings; hello”).
Noun
bonjour (plural bonjour-bonjour)
Further reading
- “bonjour” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.