Haussmannian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterizing the architectural style associated with Georges-Eugène Haussmann, which emphasizes grand avenues and uniform facades
2. Relating to the urban planning innovations of the mid-19th century in Paris that transformed the cityscape
3. Pertaining to buildings designed under the influence of Haussmann’s vision, often featuring elegant designs and a focus on aesthetics

Etymology: Georges-Eugène Haussmann was the Prefect of the Seine who, under Napoleon III, rebuilt much of central Paris between roughly 1853 and 1870. He cut broad boulevards through the old medieval streets, unified building heights and façades along them, and gave the city the wide, tree-lined avenues and symmetrical stone blocks that still define its look. The adjective formed from his name, "haussmannian," therefore names a style of urban planning as much as a style of building. The word is a straightforward formation: the surname "Haussmann" plus the English adjectival suffix "-ian," the same ending found in words like "Victorian" or "Shakespearean." Adding it to a proper name turns a person into a descriptor for something associated with them. Here the suffix does the familiar job of marking a thing as belonging to, or characteristic of, its namesake.