vogue

See also: Vogue, and vogué

English

Etymology

First attested in 1565. Borrowed from Middle French vogue (“wave, course of success”), from Old French vogue, from voguer (“to row, sway, set sail”), from Old Saxon wogōn (“to sway, rock”), var. of wagōn (“to float, fluctuate”), from Proto-Germanic *wagōną (“to sway, fluctuate”) and Proto-Germanic *wēgaz (“water in motion”), from Proto-Germanic *weganą (“to move, carry, weigh”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- (“to move, go, transport”) (compare way).

Akin to Old Saxon wegan (“to move”), Old High German wegan (“to move”), Old English wegan (“to move, carry, weigh”), Old Norse vaga (“to sway, fluctuate”), Old English wagian (“to sway, totter”), German Woge (“wave”), Swedish våg (“wave”). More at wag.

The dance derives its name from Vogue magazine.

Pronunciation

• enPR: vōg, IPA^(key): /vəʊɡ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊɡ

Noun

vogue (countable and uncountable, plural vogues)

1. The prevailing fashion or style.

   Miniskirts were the vogue in the '60s.

2. Popularity or a current craze.

   Hula hoops are no longer in vogue.

   • 1860, Albrecht Daniel Thaer, The Principles of Practical Agriculture:

     The rotation of nine years with two fallowings, which was formerly so much in vogue, is now seldom or never to be met with; it was, however, productive of very fine crops of corn on tenacious soils which require a great deal of tillage.

3. (dance) A highly stylized modern dance that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene in the 1960s.
4. (Polari) A cigarette.
   • 1997, James Gardiner, Who's a Pretty Boy Then?, page 137:

     Will you take a varder at the cartz on the feely-omi in the naf strides: the one with the bona blue ogles polarying the omi-palone with a vogue on and a cod sheitel.

Derived terms

• in vogue
• vogue word
• voguie
• (dance): voguer

Translations

the prevailing fashion or style

• Bengali: রেওয়াজ (bn) (reōẇaj)
• Bulgarian: мода (bg) f (moda)
• Catalan: voga (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 時尚／时尚 (zh) (shíshàng), 流行 (zh) (liúxíng), 時髦／时髦 (zh) (shímáo)

• Crimean Tatar: mot, moda
• Czech: móda (cs) f
• Dutch: in zwang, modieus (nl)
• Finnish: muoti (fi)
• French: vogue (fr) f, mode (fr) f
• Georgian: მოდა (ka) (moda)
• German: Mode (de) f
• Icelandic: tíska (is) f
• Japanese: 流行 (ja) (りゅうこう, ryūkō), ボーグ (bōgu)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: باو (ckb) (baw)

• Maori: tāera
• Portuguese: voga (pt) f
• Romanian: vogă (ro) f
• Russian: мо́да (ru) f (móda)
• Spanish: boga (es) f, voga f (nonstandard)
• Swedish: mode (sv) n

popularity or a current craze

• Bulgarian: популярност (bg) (populjarnost)
• Catalan: voga (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 流行 (zh) (liúxíng)

• Crimean Tatar: mot, moda
• Czech: popularita (cs) f, obliba f
• Dutch: in zwang
• Finnish: villitys (fi), muoti (fi)
• French: vogue (fr) f
• Georgian: პოპულარობა (ṗoṗularoba)
• Icelandic: tíska (is) f, æði (is) n
• Japanese: 人気 (ja) (にんき, ninki), 流行 (ja) (りゅうこう, ryūkō)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: باو (ckb) (baw)

• Russian: популя́рность (ru) f (populjárnostʹ)
• Spanish: boga (es) f, voga f (nonstandard)
• Swedish: mode (sv) n, fluga (sv) c

Verb

vogue (third-person singular simple present vogues, present participle voguing, simple past and past participle vogued)

1. (intransitive) To dance in the vogue dance style.
   • 2021 September 25, Kitty Empire, “Róisín Murphy review – a triumphant dancefloor workout”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Tonight’s sumptuous two-hour gig butts up hard against the curfew. Minutes often go by during which Murphy dispenses entirely with the business of singing pop songs. She’ll vogue, or reanimate some acid house moves, letting the beat take over.

   • 2022 July 26, William Meny & Paul Simms, “The Night Market” (19:50 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[2], season 4, episode 4, spoken by Ringmaster (Nick Corirossi):

     “Come on, this is boring!” “Okay... little man, bring your best.” (crowd cheering, clamoring) “Okay, looks like the little guy's voguing now. Whoa!”

2. (Polari) To light a cigarette for (someone).

   Vogue me up.

Anagrams

• vouge

French

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle French vogue (“wave, course of success”), from Old French vogue (“a rowing”), from voguer (“to row, sway, set sail”), from Old Saxon wogōn (“to sway, rock”), var. of wagōn (“to float, fluctuate”), from Proto-West Germanic *wagōn, from Proto-Germanic *wagōną (“to sway, fluctuate”) and *wēgaz (“water in motion”), from *weganą (“to move, carry, weigh”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- (“to move, go, transport”).

Akin to Old Saxon wegan (“to move”), Old High German wegan (“to move”), Old English wegan (“to move, carry, weigh”), Old Norse vaga (“to sway, fluctuate”), Old English wagian (“to sway, totter”). More at wag. Alternatively the verb may be derived from Italian vogare (“to row”).

Noun

vogue f (plural vogues)

1. vogue

Derived terms

• en vogue

Related terms

• voguer

Descendants

• → English: vogue
• → German: Vogue
• → Romanian: vogă
• → Spanish: boga

Etymology 2

Verb

vogue

1. inflection of voguer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “vogue”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Verb

vogue

1. inflection of vogar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Portuguese

Verb

vogue

1. inflection of vogar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative