Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Penchant |
PenchantNoun1. A strong liking; "my own preference is for good literature"; "the Irish have a penchant for blarney". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "penchant" was first used: 1672. (references) |
Synonyms: PenchantSynonyms: predilection (n), preference (n), taste (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Desire | Mind, inclination, leaning, bent, animus, partiality, penchant, predilection; propensity; willingness; liking, love, fondness, relish. |
Willingness | Disposition, inclination, leaning, animus; frame of mind, humor, mood, vein; bent; (turn of mind); penchant; (desire); aptitude. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Penchant |
| English words defined with "penchant": predilection, preference ♦ taste ♦ weakness. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "penchant": squirrelcide. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Penchant" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. French (appetence, bias, fondness, leaning, liking, partiality, penchant). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery; writing credit: Mike Myers.) I simply have a penchant for intelligent conversation. (Beast Wars: Transformers; writing credit: Bob Forward; Lawrence G. DiTillio) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Business | The investment from Formosa Plastics considerably influenced local production in 1999, which jumped from USD 179 million in 1998 to USD 249 million in 1999. Imports in 1997 were high at USD 272 million but trickled off to USD 246 million and USD 245 million in 1998 and 1999. Like most Taiwanese companies, Formosa Plastics has a strong penchant for cost control. (references) | |
Economic History | Taiwan | While broad market preference for core juice flavors is not expected to change, Taiwan retailers' penchant for new and niche flavors provides opportunities for more innovative juices and juice blends such as cranberry, blueberry, and others. (references) |
Saudi Arabia | The asking price is usually lowered a bit, to entice the client and to bow to the old-fashioned Saudi penchant for bargaining and personal exchange. (references) | |
Panama | Panamanians have a penchant for high quality U.S. products. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Penchant" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 92.31% of the time. "Penchant" is used about 65 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 92.31% | 60 | 43,597 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 7.69% | 5 | 157,705 |
| Total | 100.00% | 65 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
penchant | 14 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "penchant"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | prirje (affinity, aptitude, bent, current, disposition, drift, flair, fondness, gift, habit, inclination, leaning, liability, mission, proclivity, propensity, run, set, taste, tendency, trend, vocation), dobësi për, dëshirë (aim, appetite, craving, desire, hunger, liking, looking for, love, notion, pleasure, prayer, want, wish). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | ميل (affection, aptness, bent, bevel, cant, disposition, flair, genius, gradient, gust, gusto, inclination, lean, leaning, liking, obliqueness, obliquity, persuasion, ply, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, readiness, run, sentiment, set, slant, slope, strain, tendency, tip, turn, use, will), نزعة (bent, bias, direction, disposition, genius, leaning, movement, ply, predisposition, proclivity, strain, streak, temper, tendency, trend, wind), ولوع (crush, predilection, use), ولع (attach, fondness, liking, love, partiality, passion, predilection). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | увлечение (abandon, abandonment, fire, flame, gusto, mustard, relish, transport, vehemence, zeal, zest), склонност (addiction, affectation, aptitude, bent, bias, disposition, fancy, fondness, habit, inclination, leaning, liability, liking, partiality, ply, predilection, predispose, prepossession, proclivity, proneness, propensity, relish, squint, stomach, taste, tendency, turn, vein), вкус (choice, discernment, fancy, flavour, inclination, liking, palate, relish, sapor, savor, savour, smack, stomach, taste, tincture, tinge), предразположение (inclination, liability, predispose, prejudice, prepossession, proneness, propensity, set). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | sklon (aptitude, bent, bevel, bias, dip, disposition, drive, fall, gradient, inclination, lean, leaning, ply, proclivity, propensity, rake, slant, slope, strain, tendency, tilt, twist), náklonnost (affection, bent, bias, Favor, favour, fondness, goodwill, inclination, partiality, proclivity, taste). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | میل وافر, میل شدید, علاقه (Bind, Interest, Tie), ذوق (Goo, Gusto, Relish, Taste, Verve, Zeal), امادگی (Lurch, Preparation, Readiness). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | penchant, inclination. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Hang (acclivity, addiction, addictiveness, hillside, hillslope, leaning, mountain side, proclivity, propensity, slope, strain, tendency, turn). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | κλίση (acclivity, angle of inclination, aptitude, bend, bent, bias, cant, careen, conjugation, declivity of hill, depression, flair, flexion, gradient, gradient of slope, inclination, inflection, inflexion, lay, leaning, list, pitch, proclivity, propensity, slant, slope, subsidence slope, taper, tendency, tilt, tipping), προτίμηση (bias, choice, fancy, predilection, pre-emption, preference). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | חשק (delight, desire, eagerness, gusto, longing, lust, relish, zeal, zest), טי" (bent, deviation, disposition, inclination, leaning, liking, pitch, predilection, proclivity, propensity, rake, set, slant, spirit, streak, taste, tendency, tenor, tide, tilt, trend). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | előszeretet (affectation, fondness, inclination, predilection). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | inclinazione (addiction, angle of inclination, aptitude, assessment, bend, bent, bias, cant, dip, disposition, fancy, gradient, hang, inclination, lean, liking, obliquity, pitch, plunge, proclivity, proneness, propensity, rake, slant, slope, stoop, strike, taste, tendency, tilt, tip). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | cleayney (attract, bank, circumvent, decoy, deviate, dispose, distort, distortion, diversion, divert, draw off, incline, induce, influence, inveigle, list, persuasion, perversion, predilection, predispose, recede, seduce, stoop, tend, tend as garden, trend, vamp, veer). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | enchantpay real (absolute, actual, factual, incarnate, kingly, penny-a-line, positive, practicable, practical, real, regal, royal, sterling, tangible, true, unfeigned, veritable, very, visual). (various references) înclinaţie (addiction, aptness, disposition, grain, hade, inclination, incline, individuality, lean, leaning, mind, notion, partiality, ply, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, relish, set, squint, taste, tendency, turn, twist, vein, vocation). (various references) склонность (aptitude, bent, disposition, fancy, flair, inclination, inclination for, inclination to, leaning, liking, lurch, partiality, predisposition, proclivity, proneness, propensity, vocation, weakness, zest). (various references) sklonost (affinity, bent, bias, calling, fancy, fondness, inclination, leaning, liking, proclivity, propensity, taste, tendency). (various references) predilección (leaning, partiality, predilection), inclinación (angle of inclination, bent, bow, careenage, desire, dip, droop, gradient, heel, heeling, inclination, incline, inclining, item, leaning, liking, list, mind, nod, nutation, pitch, plunge, propensity, rake, skew, slant, slanting, slope, sloping, strike, taper, tilt, tilting, want), afición (addiction, avocation, fancy, fondness, hobby, liking, love, rave, relish, taste). (various references) förkärlek (fancy, fondness, liking, partiality, passion, predilection, prepossession). (various references) อยากทำบางสิ่ง (hae a penchant for doing something). (various references) tutku (addiction, ambition, bug, crush, cult, desire, dotage, fervency, indulgence, pash, passion, rage), meyil (affection, aptitude, bias, cant, declivity, gradient, gravitation, inclination, incline, lean, leaning, liking, obliquity, proclivity, proneness, propensity, slant, slope, talus, tendency, tide, tilt, trend), eğilim (affection, aptitude, bent, bias, current, device, disposition, drift, gravitation, inclination, leaning, liability, notion, obliquity, ply, predisposition, proclivity, proneness, propensity, pulse, relish, sense, set, slant, squint, tendency, tenor, tide, tilt, trend, turn, twist). (various references) схильність (addiction, amenability, appetite, aptitude, aptness, bend, bent, care, hang, leaning, polarity, predisposition, prepossession, strain, taste, vein). (various references) thiên hướng (disposition, leaning, propensity, turn). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | pendere. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "penchant": penchants. (additional references) | |
| |
"Penchant" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Panchgani, Pankanj, pechan, pechant, penchat, penchent, Penwhirn, Premchand, tenchant. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "penchant" (pronounced pe"nkhunt) |
| 6 | -e" n kh u n t | trenchant. |
| 5 | -n kh u n t | ancient. |
| 4 | -kh u n t | merchant. |
| 3 | -u n t | abandonment, abatement, aberrant, abhorrent, abortifacient, absent, absorbent, abstinent, abundant, accelerant, accident, accompaniment, accomplishment, accountant, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adherent, adjacent, adjournment, adjustment, adjutant, adolescent, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, afferent, affiant, affluent, agent, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, ambient, ambivalent, amendment, amusement, announcement, annulment, antecedent, antidepressant, antigovernment, antioxidant, apartment, apparent, appeasement, applicant, appointment, apportionment, ardent, argent, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, arrant, arrogant, ascendant, aspirant, assailant, assessment, assignment, assistant, assortment, astonishment, astringent, atonement, attachment, attainment, attendant, banishment, basement, battlement, belligerent, bemusement, beneficent, benevolent, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, blandishment, blatant, bombardment, brilliant, buoyant, celebrant, claimant, clairvoyant, Clement, client, coefficient, cogent, cognizant, coherent, coincident, combatant, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, competent, complacent, complainant, complaisant, complement, compliant, component, comportment, concealment, concomitant, concurrent, condiment, confident, confinement, confluent, consequent, consignment, consistent, consonant, constant, constituent, consultant, containment, contaminant, contentment, contestant, continent, contingent, convalescent, convenient, convent, convergent, conversant, coolant, copayment, corespondent, cormorant, correspondent, Courant, covenant, Crescent, crosscurrent, current, curtailment, debarment, debasement, decadent, decedent, decent, declarant, decongestant, defendant, deferment, defiant, deficient, defoliant, delinquent, deodorant, department, dependent, deployment, deportment, depressant, derailment, descendant, descendent, despondent, detachment, detergent, determent, determinant, deterrent, detriment, development, deviant, different, diligent, diminishment, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discordant, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disestablishment, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinfectant, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disobedient, dispersant, displacement, dissident, dissonant, distant, divalent, divergent, divestment, docent, dominant, dormant, easement, ebullient, efferent, effervescent, efficient, effluent, elegant, element, elephant, eloquent, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embellishment, embezzlement, embodiment, emergent, emigrant, eminent, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrant, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, equivalent, errant, escapement, escarpment, esculent, establishment, estrangement, evanescent, evident, excellent, excitement, excrement, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, expedient, experiment, exponent, extant, extinguishment, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, figment, filament, flagrant, flamboyant, flatulent, flippant, fluent, fluorescent, formant, fragment, fragrant, fraudulent, frequent, fulfillment, gallant, garment, garnishment, giant, government, grandiloquent, grandparent, harassment, hesitant, hydrant, ignorant, immanent, immigrant, imminent, impairment, impatient, impeachment, impediment, impertinent, implement, important, impotent, impoundment, impoverishment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, imprudent, inadvertent, incandescent, incessant, incident, incipient, incitement, inclement, incoherent, incompetent, inconsistent, incontinent, inconvenient, increment, incumbent, indecent, independent, indictment, indifferent, indigent, indignant, indolent, inducement, indulgent, inefficient, infant, informant, infotainment, infrequent, infringement, ingredient, inhabitant, inhalant, inherent, innocent, inpatient, insignificant, insistent, insolent, insolvent, installment, instant, instrument, insufficient, insurgent, integument, intelligent, intercurrent, interdependent, intermittent, internment, intersegment, intolerant, intransigent, invariant, investment, involvement, iridescent, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, jubilant, judgement, judgment, latent, leant, lenient, lieutenant, ligament, litigant, lubricant, lucent, luminescent, luxuriant, magnificent, malevolent, malignant, maltreatment, management, measurement, micromanagement, migrant, militant, miscreant, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monovalent, monument, mordant, movement, mutant, nascent, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, nonresident, nonviolent, nourishment, nutrient, obedient, observant, obsolescent, occupant, odorant, ointment, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, operant, opponent, opulent, ornament, orpiment, outpatient, outplacement, overconfident, overpayment, overstatement, oxidant, pageant, parchment, parent, parliament, participant, patent, patient, pavement, payment, peasant, pendant, penitent, pennant, percipient, permanent, persistent, pertinent, petulant, pheasant, pigment, piquant, placement, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, postponement, postretirement, potent, preadolescent, precedent, predicament, predominant, preeminent, pregnant, prejudgment, prepayment, prescient, present, presentment, prevalent, procurement, proficient, prominent, pronouncement, propellant, proponent, protestant, provident, prudent, prurient, pungent, punishment, pursuant, puzzlement, quadrant, quiescent, quotient, radiant, rampant, readjustment, reagent, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recalcitrant, recent, recipient, recombinant, recruitment, recurrent, redeployment, redevelopment, redundant, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, refreshment, refrigerant, refurbishment, Regent, regiment, registrant, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, relevant, reliant, reluctant, reminiscent, remnant, repayment, repellent, repentant, replacement, replenishment, repugnant, requirement, resentment, resettlement, resident, resilient, resistant, resonant, resplendent, respondent, restatement, resultant, resurgent, retardant, reticent, retirement, retrenchment, reverent, rodent, rudiment, ruminant, sacrament, salient, seafront, sealant, sediment, segment, semipermanent, sentiment, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, settlement, shipment, significant, silent, solvent, somnolent, stagnant, statement, stimulant, strident, stringent, student, subcontinent, subsequent, subservient, succulent, sufficient, supergiant, superintendent, supplement, supplicant, suppressant, surfactant, talent, tangent, temperament, tenant, tenement, testament, tetravalent, tolerant, torrent, tournament, transcendent, transient, translucent, transparent, treatment, trident, triumphant, truant, truculent, tumescent, turbulent, tyrant, undercurrent, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, vagrant, valiant, variant, vehement, verdant, vibrant, vigilant, violent, virulent, warrant, wonderment. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-e-h-n-n-p-t" | |
-1 letter: enchant. | |
-2 letters: hapten, hepcat, pechan. | |
-3 letters: anent, chant, chape, chapt, cheap, cheat, enact, epact, hance, henna, nance, natch, neath, panne, patch, paten, peach, pecan, penna, tache, teach, tench, thane, theca. | |
-4 letters: ache, acne, ante, cane, cant, cape, caph, cate, cent, chap, chat, each, eath, epha, etch, etna, haen, haet, hant, hate, heap, heat, hent. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-e-h-n-n-p-t" | |
+1 letter: penchants. | |
+2 letters: catchpenny, naphthenic, phenacetin. | |
+3 letters: ctenophoran, nonemphatic, phenacetins, phonetician. | |
+4 letters: ctenophorans, happenstance, pantechnicon, phoneticians. | |
+5 letters: acetaminophen, anthropogenic, containership, happenstances, metencephalon, nonalphabetic, nonpathogenic, pantechnicons, telencephalon. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)50 65 6E 63 68 61 6E 74 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references).--. . -. -.-. .... .- -. - |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01010000 01100101 01101110 01100011 01101000 01100001 01101110 01110100 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)P e n c h a n t |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0050 0065 006E 0063 0068 0061 006E 0074 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)5071806974678086 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Quotations: Non-fiction 6. Usage Frequency 7. Expressions: Internet 8. Translations: Modern | 9. Translations: Ancient 10. Derivations 11. Rhymes 12. Anagrams | 13. Orthography 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
