contretemps
noun/ˈkɒntrətɒ̃/
/ˈkɑːntrətɑ̃ː/
(plural contretemps)
(from French, formal or humorous)- an unpleasant event or an embarrassing occasion when people disagree
- They have been ignoring me since our last contretemps.
Word Originlate 17th cent. (originally as a fencing term, denoting a thrust made at an inopportune moment): French, originally ‘motion out of time’, from contre- ‘against’ + temps ‘time’.
Check pronunciation:
contretemps