
IdiomDaily Life
French
En grande pompe
Meaning: With elaborate ceremony.
Literally: In great pomp
Example: “La nouvelle médiathèque a été inaugurée en grande pompe par le préfet.” — The new library was opened with pomp and circumstance by the prefect.
English equivalent: With pomp and circumstance
Equivalents in other languages
Italian: in pompa magna Literally: In great pompEnglish: with pomp and circumstance
Origin: Pompa is the Latin for a solemn procession, borrowed from Greek pompē. The English pomp is the same word, and both have drifted towards implying the ceremony is excessive.
More French idioms
- Une victoire à la Pyrrhus A win whose cost makes it indistinguishable from defeat.
- En quarantaine In quarantine; isolated from contact.
- Tomber en quenouille To decline into neglect; to fall apart through mismanagement.
- Sans queue ni tête Making no sense at all.
- Être sur le qui-vive To be tensely alert.
- En rade Stranded; left behind.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Épanouissement The full flourishing of a person — blooming into your most complete, radiant self. More t…
- Ressourcement The act of returning to one's roots or origins to find renewal — going back to a place, t…
- Dépaysement The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
Keep exploring