Meanings
lapalissian1
comparative more lapalissian · superlative most lapalissian
- Alternative letter-case form of Lapalissian.
Lapalissian2
comparative more Lapalissian · superlative most Lapalissian · alternative lapalissian
Origin
- Frenchs'il n'était pas mort, il ferait encore envie
- EnglishLapalissian
From Jacques de la Palice (a French nobleman and military officer) + -ian. His epitaph, carrying the words “if he weren't dead, he would still be envied” (French s'il n'était pas mort, il ferait encore envie), was misread as the truism “if he weren't dead, he would still be alive” (s'il n'était pas mort, il ſerait encore en vie).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lapalissian
All rhymes →Cite this entry
lapalissian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapalissian
“lapalissian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapalissian. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lapalissian,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapalissian.
Source: lapalissian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.