Chapitournelle

Feminine noun · Crestignacian.

Pronunciation: sha-pee-toor-nell (approximate French pronunciation).

Definition

A story, conversation or situation that appears to progress through successive chapters, each subtly leading back to the one before.

A chapitournelle is not merely going round in circles. It does move forward, but through episodes, detours, returns and digressions.

Example

“After seventeen meetings devoted to scheduling the next meeting, the project entered a chapitournelle.”