MovieChat Forums > The Revenant (2016) Discussion > Why was it called "revenant" if most peo...

Why was it called "revenant" if most people don't understand that word ?


Hi,

i didn't that film yet and was wondering why was it called that ?
Is there a particular reason in the film why "revenant" was used rather than a full English word ?

Thanks

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Hi frd,

There are few words which are relevant to the movie' plot. The title means "to return". Hope you got ur answer.

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NO! FAIL! A revenant is a term for a ranimated corpse. Something like a zombie but not exactly.
Where the hell did you get "return"?

"European folklore, a revenant is a corpse that has returned from the grave to terrorize the living."
Does this sound familiar Dayan? As in basically what the gist of the film was about?


BTW OP just because people may not know what a word means, that's no reason why someone else shouldn't use it. It's called a dictionary, the next time you want to look up a unfamiliar word.

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I love that you asked where the hell he got return, then your definition uses the same word. Classic.

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Someone whose supposed to be dead, returns.

That's what it means.

"A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference." Eeyore

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The OP's right...they should have called it "The Guy".

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DEAD

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"The Unexpected Guy"

"The Guy Surprise"

"Honey, I Am Back!"

"The Great Revenge"


...


Four good arguments to keep the current title.

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There will be scalping

---
Project Mayhem ID: In life I am ur432978. In death, I have a name. My name is AfroGeek.

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hahaha, I'm LOL-ing at my work desk... "The Unexpected Guy"... hahaha

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^ This

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The Goat?

"A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference." Eeyore

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Someone who is supposed to be dead, returns. this

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"The Terminator"

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"The Terminated"

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I know, jeez! If you hadn't already said I would have. What an lose noodle that guy was!

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Revenant is a french word that means "comeback". It is sometimes used in other cultures to make reference to entities that have returned from death.

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"FAIL!"
Go back to 9gag

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He is right about "to return".
It is French. From the verb : "revenir" (to come back/return).
Revenant , "he who came back".

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Huh? Maybe you should look the word up in a dictionary maybe yourself.. It has more than one meaning. One of them is "someone that has returned from a long absence". This also holds true for someone coming back from the dead since they all presumed that he would die or had died. Use your head.

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Relax. It does in fact mean return but it also means ghost.

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You sound like a prize!

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"NO! FAIL! A revenant is a term for a ranimated corpse. Something like a zombie but not exactly.
Where the hell did you get "return"? "


LOLOL!

Sometimes, a person will insult themselves far better than you ever could.

What an extreme buffoon.

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HAhahahaha!

Wow, IMDB FANBOYS will even argue about the 'correct meaning' of a word they all have to look up in the first place - and then argue about whether their dictionary defined the word "BEST"?

AND even IMDB Fanboys like little "Jeepster7" will even argue that their dictionary is not only superior, but that it makes THEM Superior, Smug, and Condescending - thus they are totally justified insulting everyone who also must Look It UP, such as Jeepster7 obviously did.

How Absurd can these Fanboys get!?!

The definition is as most everyone quotes - all dictionaries will have slightly different variations compared to others. In what way does any of that reflect on the person reading such definition?

'The Revenant' - is meant to include ALL such Definitions and (like any good Title) especially the Connotations of the Word ("Connotations" being far to subtle and intelligent for the average 'imdb fanboy').

'Returning after a long absence or death.' [with heavy connotations of the supernatural or extreme human experience]

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NO! FAIL! A revenant is a term for a ranimated corpse. Something like a zombie but not exactly. Where the hell did you get "return"?


It means "one that returns after death."

It's called a dictionary. You might want to get one.

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Here's another dictionary definition for you.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revenant

Definition of revenant
: one that returns after death or a long absence

Seems to fit the bill quite nicely. Even has return right there in the definition. I guess if you want a literal meaning of the word it would be "Someone that has returned".

I am more familiar with the reanimated corpse definition myself as well though for the record.

--

I know less than all but more than many who know less

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Totally love www.dictionary.com
😊

"Live Long and Prosper"

https://www.roww.org/

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The movie is based on a novel called The Revenant.

Since revenant is being used as a noun, it could not possibly mean "to return."

The English word revenant refers to someone believed to have returned from the dead to haunt the living. So the title is completely relevant to the plot.

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Revenant is in the dictionary. It means "one who returns" or a "person who returns".
Secondary definition is "one who returns as a spirit", which is the original French meaning.
The word comes from the early 19th century, and was picked up by English speakers later.

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Sorry to sound like a smart ass, but most people DO understand that word. At least anyone over the age of 30.

John 3:16

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It is a full English word!

And it is used because other words would not transport the connotations that come with that particular word.

A revenant is someone who returns from the world of the dead to haunt the living. And since Glass was left for dead in his grave, for those who had seen him after the bear attack it must have been like someone who returned from the dead to take revenge.

To put it simply: There's simply no better word.

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Agreed. It is an effective way to convey a lot of meaning with just a couple syllables. Its not as obscure a word as OP is suggesting.

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Its not as obscure a word as OP is suggesting.


Besides, even if it is obscure why should the filmmakers dumb it down? It's their vision, why do viewers demand to be guided so much these days? It's better when the movie respects your intelligence and makes you figure things out on your own.

People complain that movies are getting stupider, but it seems to me that rings more true for the audience.

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How can you say "if most people don't understand that word"? How can you speak for others if you and maybe a couple of your friends don't understand the word? It seems strange that you came to this conclusion. Maybe your post needed a little more thought before posting.

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...and if anyone DIDN'T understand its meaning, there's this new thing called "Google" where he/she could find it out pretty quick.

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...and if anyone DIDN'T understand its meaning, there's this new thing called "Google" where he/she could find it out pretty quick.


This. Seriously.

"A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference." Eeyore

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Ha! I just said this, I didn't see your post!

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That's what I was thinking. One person and maybe a few people he speaks to do not know what a word means, so that means all of the rest of us don't understand. Google is your friend when you don't know what a definition of a word is. Lots and lots of folks know the meaning.

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Learn something new everyday! I didn't know what Revenant meant until I googled it AFTER I saw the movie. I don't see movies based on film titles, but on the plot or who's in it. It could have been called @ and I would have still seen it.

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What is a word if not full english? Half english? 72% English?

Is that like being "kind of pregnant?"

Revenants are Shadowknights between levels 55 and 59 in EverQuest.

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There's also a kick ass old isometric RPG called Revenant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUGlmcCPoN0


"I don't want a bloody avatar!" -paraphrased from BQQ's annoyances with IMDb's stupidity

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I'm french and it definitely comes from the french language. Revenant =to return, the one who returns, comes back. But i'm pretty sure it's (not commonly) used by english speakers.

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Aside from all the other comments, it was also the name of the book it is based off of.

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