entry
nonchalant
/ˌnɑnʃəˈlɑnt/calmly unconcerned, detached, or casually relaxed
From Latin non (not) + O.French chaloir (to matter).
from French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcefrom French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcefrom French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin calere "be hot" (from PIE root *kele- (1) "warm"). French chaland "customer, client" is of the same origin....
from Old French nonchaloir (“to be unconcerned”)
from Old French nonchaloir (“to be unconcerned”)
from French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcefrom French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcefrom French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcefrom French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin calere "be hot" (from PIE root *kele- (1) "warm"). French chaland "customer, client" is of the same origin....
from Old French nonchaloir (“to be unconcerned”)
from Old French nonchaloir (“to be unconcerned”)
from French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcefrom French nonchalant "careless, indifferent," present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern...
+1 more sourcePicture a medieval French speaker declaring that something simply did not matter: non chaloir—“not to be concerned.” The surprising part is that chaloir reaches back to Latin calēre, “to be hot,” as if concern were emotional heat and indifference were the decision to stay cool. French also produced chaland, “customer” or “client,” from the same family of ideas about what matters to someone. English adopted nonchalant in 1734, giving its cool detachment a polished, faintly aristocratic sound. So when someone remains serenely calm while everyone else is panicking, remember the original image: their emotional thermostat is set to “not hot.”
The Story
Picture a medieval French speaker declaring that something simply did not matter: non chaloir—“not to be concerned.” The surprising part is that chaloir reaches back to Latin calēre, “to be hot,” as if concern were emotional heat and indifference were the decision to stay cool. French also produced chaland, “customer” or “client,” from the same family of ideas about what matters to someone. English adopted nonchalant in 1734, giving its cool detachment a polished, faintly aristocratic sound. So when someone remains serenely calm while everyone else is panicking, remember the original image: their emotional thermostat is set to “not hot.”
Modern Usage
Indifferent or uninterested, especially with an unusually calm attitude in a tense situation
Notable References
- Tanya Pointer, the Washington, D.C. rapper who performed as Nonchalant
Kin & Kindred
From 'non'·not; negation
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'chaloir'·to matter, concern, or be important
Cognates
Related words in other languages
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia