Chouan

noun

Chou·an

ˈshüˌän

F shwäⁿ

plural Chouans

-änz,

-äⁿ

: one of the royalist insurgents in western France during and after the French revolution

Word History

Etymology

after Jean Chouan (nickname of Jean Cottereau †1794 French revolutionary, one of the leaders), from French dialect chouan owl, alteration of Middle French javan, from Late Latin cavannus, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh cwan owl, Breton kaouenn

Cite this Entry

Style

“Chouan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chouan. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

scintilla

Listen to the pronunciation of scintilla

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!