Saturday, November 13, 2010

Debonair

Debonair \deb-uh-NAIR\ , adjective;
1. Courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm
2. Jaunty; carefree; sprightly

According to Etymonline.com:
Dating from the early 13th century, this word comes from Old French debonaire which derives from de bon'aire ("of good race"). It was originally used to refer to hawks, so it meant "thoroughbred" (antonym of demalaire, "of poor race"). The Middle English definition ("docile, courteous") became obsolete at some point, only to be revived with a sense of "pleasant, affable" in the 1680's.

I like this word because it makes me think of a bygone era - Don Draper style, if you will. I think that men should start wearing suits and hats again and be more debonair. Ladies, we might have to start wearing hats and heels, but that's a deal I'd shake on!

*Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Saturday, November 13

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