frisson
\ free-SOHN; Fr . free-SAWN \, noun;
1.a sudden, passing sensation of excitement; a shudder of emotion; thrill: The movie offers the viewer the occasional frisson of seeing a character in mortal danger .
Quotes:
More likely, " frisson " is to be taken figuratively, referring to shivers that are the result of strong emotion.
-- Emile Talbot, "Reading Nelligan," 2003
Yet Atwood will also use poetic techniques to demystify, as in “Women's Novels,” where she laments her inability to enjoy a “romantic frisson ” that she cannot believe in.
-- Margaret Atwood, Afterword by Steven Heighton, “Afterword,” Murder in the Dark , 1997.
Origin:
Frisson entered English in 1770s from the French word for "shiver" or "shudder."
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