parvenu \PAR-vuh-noo\ noun
: one that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it
Example sentence: Long-time member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows viewed the young Pinky Diablo as an upstart parvenu.
Did you know? French has been generous in providing us with terms for obscure folks who suddenly strike it rich. In addition to "parvenu," French has loaned us "nouveau riche," "arriviste," and "roturier," all of which can describe a rich person of plebeian origins, especially one who is a bit snobby. Those colorful and slightly disparaging terms for the newly monied clearly show their French heritage, but it may be harder to see the French background of a term Massachusetts locals once used for coastal merchants made rich through the fishing trade: "codfish aristocracy." "Codfish" comes from Middle English, but "aristocracy" passed into English via Middle French.
