verve
/vəːv
/noun [mass noun]
Vigour and spirit or enthusiasm: Kollo sings with supreme verve and flexibility...
- The group from Kolhapur in Maharashtra, to perform before Hyderabadis, was full of verve and vigour.
- The design captures the spirit, character and verve of Chinese culture.
- Teenage girls have passione and verve and the chutzpah to do anything and wear anything they want.
Synonyms
enthusiasm, vigour, energy, pep, dynamism, go, elan, vitality, vivacity, buoyancy, liveliness, animation, sprightliness, zest, sparkle, effervescence, fizz, spirit, spiritedness, ebullience, life, dash, brio, fervour, gusto, eagerness, keenness, passion, zeal, relish, feeling, ardour, fire, fieriness, drive, forcefulness, force, strength, determination, motivation, push, vehemence, fanaticism
informal zing, zip, vim, punch, get-up-and-go, pizzazz, oomph, feistiness
Origin
Late 17th century (denoting special talent in writing): from French, 'vigour', earlier 'form of expression', from Latin verba 'words'.
Verve started out meaning ‘special talent in writing’. It is from a French word for ‘vigour’, and before that ‘form of expression’, from Latin verba ‘words’. The word came to be used in the generalized sense ‘energy, vigour’ in the middle of the 19th century.