zeligesque
/ˌzɛlɪɡˈɛsk/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
29
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Simply put, Mr. [Edmund] Morris has invented a character: himself. For literary purposes, the author, 59, has essentially transformed his own life, […] revised his age, birthplace, identity and resume to become a Zeligesque narrator who is a [Ronald] Reagan contemporary, glimpsing the future President on a Dixon High School football field; bumping into him beneath the elms of his Illinois alma mater, Eureka College; reporting for duty to Lieutenant at the Army Air Force's first motion picture unit."
- "Usamah bin Munqidh was one of those ubiquitous players who know everyone who matters at a certain time or place in history and always find themselves at the centre of events. During his long career, this Zeligesque courtier, warrior and writer managed to serve all the great Islamic leaders of his century, from Zangi and the Fatimid caliphs to Saladin, and to know at least two of the kings of Jerusalem."
- "He [Roger Stone]'s become a kind of Zeligesque political figure, appearing when he's least desired and least expected. Like [Donald] Trump, Roger is constantly burnishing his brand image, writing himself into history, where his role has been, at its very best, tangential."
Etymology
From Zelig + -esque (suffix meaning ‘in the manner or style of’, forming adjectives from nouns (especially proper nouns)), referring to the character Leonard Zelig from the 1983 film Zelig who meets many famous people in the 1920s and 1930s and, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of the strong personalities around him.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌzɛlɪɡˈɛsk/
- British English: /ˌzɛlɪɡˈɛsk/
Inflected Forms
more Zeligesque (comparative)
most Zeligesque (superlative)