frisson


Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.

fris·son

 (frē-sōN′)
n. pl. fris·sons (-sōNz′, -sōN′)
A moment of intense excitement; a shudder: The story's ending arouses a frisson of terror.

[French, from Old French fricons, pl. of fricon, a trembling, from Vulgar Latin *frīctiō, *frīctiōn-, from Latin frīgēre, to be cold.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

frisson

(frisɔ̃)
n
a shudder or shiver; thrill
[C18 (but in common use only from C20): literally: shiver]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fris•son

(friˈsõʊ̃)

n.
a passing sensation of excitement; thrill.
[1770–80; < French: shiver, shudder, Old French friçons (pl.) < Late Latin frictiōnem, acc. of frictiō shiver (taken as derivative of frīgēre to be cold), Latin: massage, friction]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

frisson

A French word meaning a shiver, used to mean a thrill or sensation of excitement or fear.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.frisson - an almost pleasurable sensation of frightfrisson - an almost pleasurable sensation of fright; "a frisson of surprise shot through him"
fear, fearfulness, fright - an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

frisson

[ˈfriːsɒn] N [of horror, fear] → repelús m; [of excitement] → escalofrío m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

frisson

[ˈfriːsɒn frisɔ̃] (literary) nfrisson m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

frisson

n (= thrill)Schauer m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
References in periodicals archive ?
An upcoming event organised by Paphos Music Lovers and under the auspices of Peyia Mayor Marinos Lambrou will see the Cypriot band Trio Frisson performing on February 10.
God forbid the frisson between the sexes should be lost because everyone's too terrified.
After watching the clip, presenter Phillip Schofield pointed out the "sexual tension" between the pair, while Holly Willoughby said there was a "little frisson".
This is not your standard lift the flap book--here the flaps are half overlapped pages or shaped edges cleverly contributing to the stage setting and visual trickery: a drawn back velvet curtain, a puff of smoke, a frisson of magic, all adding to the sense of mystery and surprise.
THE arrival of Yorkshire at Lord's for the next round of Specsavers County Championship matches, starting on Monday, will give Middlesex supporters a frisson of anticipation.
The production did try to whip up a soupcon of frisson and conflict by arranging for a dinner that reunited Chyna with her many half-siblings.
But when served with a pithy, two-word epithet and a frisson of the world's oldest hatredJew hatred, that isa hit piece on the editor of The Weekly Standard is enough to foment a trending topic on Twitter.
But in a slight tweak to the format, this time their four-legged friends join them - all wearing dog-cams - to add an extra frisson. In the first episode, actress Debra Stephenson walks Dorset's Jurassic Coast with chocolate labrador Biscuit (left).
A little sexual frisson comes in the form of Catherine Zeta-Jones as a journalist writing about the bumbling Home Guard unit.
There is a little romantic frisson between Bryson and Mary Steenburgen's charming hotel owner, but he has a loving partner back home, with Thompson almost stealing the film with her brief role.
Accordingly, the question faced by this exhibition (comprising seventeen installations, sculptural objects, and films from 1993 to today) is whether--even as art and architecture seem to be racing each other toward the apotheosis of eye-popping entertainment value--any transgressive frisson between the two disciplines is still possible.