Make Your Point: HAUTEUR

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pronounce HAUTEUR:

Either "ho TUR" or "ha TUR."

connect this word to others:

Our high-and-mighty word hauteur is related to lots of words about height, like alto, altitude, altar, enhance, and ex___ ("to lift up to a higher level of power, respect, or dignity").

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

We took the word "hauteur" from French in the 1600s.

It literally means "height," and it traces further back to the Latin altus, meaning "high, or grown tall."

We use "hauteur" to mean "haughtiness: an attitude of acting better than other people, as if you're looking down on them from your superior height."

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the uncountable kind: "They had hauteur;" "Their voices were filled with hauteur."

Other forms:

None.

how to use it:

When you need a critical, snooty-sounding synonym of "haughtiness," pick the semi-common word "hauteur."

It's an unkind word, so use it with caution unless you're being silly, as in "Here's my cat: I give her adoration, and she gives me hauteur."

You might talk about someone doing something with hauteur, saying something with hauteur, or having a reputation for hauteur.

examples:

"'Don't sweetheart me,' snaps back Maggie Smith with the chilly eyed hauteur she has brought to a thousand scenes in Downton Abbey."
— Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian, 5 November 2015

"Sir John Franklin [was] a nineteenth-century British naval officer whose smugness and hauteur contributed to some 140 deaths, including his own... Franklin was said to be a good-natured bumbler, dogged and clueless, with the naive ideals of a child and a disdain for acquiring backcountry skills. He had been woefully unprepared to lead an Arctic expedition... He and the 128 men under his command were never heard from again."
— Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild, 1996

has this page helped you understand "hauteur"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "hauteur" without saying "haughtiness" or "arrogance."

try it out:

When I think of hauteur, I think of Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep, in The Devil Wears Prada. She's the titular devil, and for much of the film, she sashays around like she's God's gift to the fashion industry.

In your mind, who's the face of hauteur? Talk about a public figure, or a character from fiction, (or, if you don't mind spilling the tea, a person you know in real life) who seems to embody hauteur.

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is Just Joshing: John Oliver Edition!

Flex your creativity and word-finding skills as you fill in the blanks to create your own joke, following the example of the comedian John Oliver. Since the LOLs are in the details, try making your joke as specific (or weird) as possible.

For example, if I give you "The only things you should be buying on eBay are _____ and _____," then you might give me "The only things you should be buying on eBay are pieces of gum chewed by Elvis and unassembled snowmen." (Oliver's actual joke was "The only things you should be buying on eBay are vintage RadioShack swag and a discarded e-meter from the Church of Scientology.")

Try this one today: "Okay, he is clearly reading that for the first time, because no one says 'Wow, that's really something' when they know what they're talking about. You say 'Wow, that's really something' when your kid hands you a drawing of _____ and you can't decipher _____."

To see my crack at it, as well as Oliver's original joke, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. A close opposite of HAUTEUR is

A. COMFORT.
B. HUMILITY.
C. FRAGILITY.

2. In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, _____ plays the _____, oozing hauteur with lines like "_____."

A. Edie McClurg .. principal's secretary .. Oh, he's very popular, Ed... They think he's a righteous dude
B. Jennifer Grey .. bitter sister .. Why should he get to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants? Why should everything work out for him?
C. Jonathan Schmock .. maître d' .. Listen young man, entre nous, I'm very busy. Why don't you take the kids and go back to the clubhouse?

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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