vogue

English vogue came from French vogue in the sense of prevailing fashion or popularity. That noun grew out of French voguer, "to row" or "to sail," a word of movement and course. The image was of something moving forward with force. What was in vogue was what carried the day.

The French verb is recorded in the late Middle Ages, and the noun vogue is clear in French by the 16th century. It could mean a run, a course, or a strong current of success. By the 17th century it was often used for social favor and passing taste. The metaphor had shifted from boats in motion to public opinion in motion.

English borrowed vogue in the later 16th century. Early uses referred to currency, sway, or prevailing acceptance before narrowing toward fashion. London printers and essayists used it for ideas, manners, and styles that had the upper hand. The word fit a society watching taste move quickly through courts and cities.

Today vogue usually names what is fashionable at a given moment, though the older sense of general popularity still survives. The phrase in vogue preserves the French pattern most clearly. The magazine title Vogue, founded in 1892 in New York, fixed the word firmly in fashion culture. Even now, the word still hints at a current carrying people along.