What does bon mean?
'Bon' is the French word for 'good', adopted into English not as a working adjective but as a flavouring from another language. On its own it appears chiefly as an exclamation of approval — a brisk, slightly theatrical 'Bon!' signalling delight or satisfaction. Far more often it survives inside fixed French phrases that English has fully absorbed: 'bon voyage' for a safe journey, 'bon appétit' before a meal, 'bon vivant' for a person who enjoys good living, and 'bon mot' for a clever remark. The word descends from Latin 'bonus', meaning good, which also gave English words such as 'bonus' and 'bonanza'. Because it carries unmistakable French colouring, using it tends to lend a sentence elegance, wit, or cosmopolitan charm; but writers should note that outside its familiar phrase combinations it reads as affected rather than natural. It remains best understood as a small imported jewel of approval.
An exclamation expressing approval, pleasure, or satisfaction.
"'Bon!' said the critic, laying down his fork with evident delight."
Borrowed wholesale from French; used playfully or theatrically rather than as ordinary speech.
Good — occurring in English only as the first element of fixed French phrases such as 'bon voyage', 'bon appétit' and 'bon mot'.
"Her parting gift was a single word: bon voyage."
Rarely used independently in English; effectively restricted to established borrowed phrases.
Every time you wish someone 'bon voyage,' you're speaking a fragment of Latin that the Romans carried into French over two thousand years ago.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bon
English takes 'bon' directly from French, where it is the standard adjective meaning 'good'. French itself inherited it from Latin 'bonus', the same root that produced English 'bonus', 'bonanza' (via Spanish) and 'bounty' (via Old French 'bonté'). The word entered English through the many French phrases adopted after the Norman Conquest and later through polite eighteenth- and nineteenth-century borrowing, remaining largely confined to those expressions.
Related word forms
How bon is actually used
In modern English, 'bon' is almost never used as an independent adjective; it survives almost exclusively inside established French phrases, where it lends a light, cosmopolitan or slightly playful tone. Used alone as an exclamation it sounds deliberately theatrical or Gallic.
Easily confused with bon
'Bone' is the noun for the hard structural tissue of the body, whereas 'bon' is the French borrowing meaning 'good'.