cachet

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /kæˈʃeɪ/ UK /ˈkæʃeɪ/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
prestige or high status, often associated with a particular quality or characteristic

The award has a certain cachet among industry professionals.
2

noun
a distinguishing mark or seal, often used to indicate authenticity or approval

The document bore the royal cachet, signifying its importance.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · prestige or high status,... prestige status distinction reputation clout

2 noun · a distinguishing mark or... seal stamp insignia emblem mark

Opposites

disrepute stigma

Etymology

From French cachet ('seal; stamp'), from cacher ('to press; to hide') + diminutive -et; adopted into English in the 16th c. as 'seal; distinguishing mark', later 'prestige'.

Topics

Describing Qualities

# cachet

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** kæˈʃeɪ
**IPA (UK):** ˈkæʃeɪ

## Meanings
1. prestige or high status, often associated with a particular quality or characteristic
2. a distinguishing mark or seal, often used to indicate authenticity or approval

## Examples
- The award has a certain cachet among industry professionals.
- The document bore the royal cachet, signifying its importance.

## Synonyms
- prestige
- status
- distinction
- reputation
- clout
- seal
- stamp
- insignia
- emblem
- mark

## Antonyms
- disrepute
- stigma

## Etymology
From French cachet ('seal; stamp'), from cacher ('to press; to hide') + diminutive -et; adopted into English in the 16th c. as 'seal; distinguishing mark', later 'prestige'.

## AI Etymology
Cachet comes from French cachet ('seal; stamp'), from cacher ('to press; to hide') + diminutive -et; adopted into English in the 16th c. as 'seal; distinguishing mark', later 'prestige'. In current use it is a noun meaning "prestige or high status, often associated with a particular quality or characteristic". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. A diminutive element is part of the history, marking a smaller or derived form. The semantic development is therefore important as well as the form: the word moves from the older concrete, technical, or literal setting into the present figurative or specialized sense.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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