DOUBLE ENTENDRE


Meaning of DOUBLE ENTENDRE in English

ˌdübəˌläⁿ(n.)ˈtä(ä)ⁿ(n)]dr( ə ), ˌdəbəˌlä-, ˌdüˌblä-, -län.ˈtän], ]d(rə)\ noun

( plural double entendres )

Etymology: obsolete French, literally, double meaning

1. : ambiguity of meaning arising from language that lends itself to more than one interpretation

rooted mainly in the basic humor of insult, malapropism, and double entendre — Wolcott Gibbs

2. : a word or expression capable of two interpretations, one of them often having a risqué connotation

a kind of old-fashioned bedroom farce with many of the double entendres that go with that form of entertainment — John McCarten

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.