Flâneur

Many thanks to lil for teaching me this one. It suits me nicely! There is even a website dedicated to the world’s flâneurs: Flâneur and they accept submissions, in case you want to turn your strolling into something literary.

The original French means “to lounge, saunter idly.” The Shorter OED defines flâneur unflatteringly:

flâneur
noun: An idler.

and attributes it to R. Holmes: “Paris…celebrated the idea of the flâneur, the man who drifts around the streets, gang at everything.”

But a better definition is found at Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day: One who strolls about aimlessly; a lounger; a loafer.

Posted by kuri at June 25, 2005 10:41 AM