parvenu /ˈpärvəˌn(y)o͞o / ‹often derogatory› I. noun a person of obscure origin who has gained wealth, influence, or celebrity • the political inexperience of a parvenu • [as modifier] he concealed the details of his parvenu lifestyle. – origin early 19th cent.: from French, literally ‘arrived,’ past participle of parvenir, from Latin pervenire ‘come to, reach.’
