laïus
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See also: Laius
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Ancient Greek Λάϊος (Láïos, “Laius”); part of the entrance examination to the École Polytechnique in the early 19th century involved writing Laius's speech to Oedipus, a subject many students found uninspiring. The term entered Polytechnique student slang before spreading to the general language.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
laïus m (plural laïus)
- (derogatory) a speech or address, especially one that is meaningless, trite, verbose, pat, and/or insincere.
Further reading[edit]
- “laïus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.