"Promenade" - what does this word mean?

Let's say someone pronounces the phrase: "I'll make a promenade." What is this person really going to accomplish? Somehow the word "promenade" does not sound Russian at all, do not you think? If it seems, then you are absolutely right, because it came to us from the French speech. Now we will tell all about this expression in detail.

The origin of the word "promenade"

What was hidden behind the fashion of the XIX century. Speak Russian in high society in French? Noble offspring of childhood trained this wisdom. In a domestic setting, chattering in his native tongue was by no means forbidden, but in high society it was an absolute mauvais (mauvais ton - Fr. "Bad taste"). Perhaps, in this way, the nobles tried to emphasize their chosenness. After all, any waiter could speak in Russian. Apparently, it was then that in our native speech many foreign words were permanently fixed.

The French word promenade (a leisurely walk through the city) is one of them. Promenade - what is it in the mouths of noblemen of the 19th century? And this is when some noble lady wanted to go for a walk, for example, on Nevsky Prospekt, she was willing to make a promenade. People of the lower classes could pronounce this expression in a distorted form. They often said "promenade", and then gave out their ignorance. Remember, in the film "The Wedding of Balzaminov", the main character's maman teaches him different French words, among which "promenade" also sounds. This fragment always causes laughter in the audience.

Today's Promenade

Promenade - what is this word today? We are living now not in the 19th century or even in the 20th, so few people now in everyday communication, quite seriously, instead of saying: "I'll go for a walk", it is important to say: "I'll go make a promenade" . In our time, this expression is used more in an ironic version, as a joke, to amuse the interlocutors. However, today it is very often possible to meet this word as the name of some travel company, hotel or even a cafe. Why this happens, you will now understand.

What is a promenade in tourism?

When a person goes to rest, especially abroad, he gets into a special world, far from ordinary life. Therefore, many words that the house does not cause anything other than a smile, on vacation are perceived quite differently. Here, for example, you come to a seaside resort and find out that your hotel is not on the first coastline, but on the second. Perhaps, from your point of view, this is not very pleasant news. But here's the hotel's advertising brochure with pride that their guests are expecting a daily pleasant promenade. "What?" - you ask. And this is nothing more than a walk from the hotel to the beach and back.

The word "promenade" refers to a number of generally accepted tourist terms, and it never enters anyone's head to utter it with irony. By the way, do you know what name is the most important French embankment, which is, of course, in Nice? Promenade des Anglais! Something familiar, is not it?

Other meanings of the word "promenade"

Do you think that's all? And here you are mistaken! This word also has other meanings. For example, it has the most direct relation to dances. Promenade - what is it in the dance? And this figure in the good old quadrille, who now no one dances. And once ladies and gentlemen loved to dance this merry dance, consisting of several figures, one of which was called "promenazh." By the way, the quadrille came to the higher society from folk rural dances.

And at the end of the 19th century the expression "promenade" was used as the name of a light dinner in a restaurant or cafe. So do not be surprised if you see a restaurant with a similar name somewhere. Now you know that it was not chosen by chance.

Well, now you know a lot about this word. Just do not say never "promenade promenade" - it's like saying "butter oil."