different between affable vs polite

English

Etymology

French affable, Latin aff?bilis, from affor (“I address”), from ad + for (“speak, talk”). See fable.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?æf.?.b?l/

Adjective

affable (comparative more affable, superlative most affable)

1. Receiving others kindly and conversing with them in a free and friendly manner; friendly, courteous, sociable.
   • 1912: James Burrill Angell, The Reminiscences Of James Burrill Angell, chapter ix "Mission To The Ottoman Empire"

     Furthermore, I may say, that the Sultan was always most affable to me in my interviews with him, even when I had to discuss some missionary questions. In fact, I never saw any traces of the difficulties which Mr. Terrell reported.

2. Mild; benign.
   • 1998: Alexia Maria Kosmider, Tricky Tribal Discourse, page 84

     During more affable weather, the four friends congregate outside, sometimes leaning their hickory chairs against a "catapa" tree...

Synonyms

• (friendly, courteous): accessible, civil, complaisant, courteous, friendly, gracious, personable
• (mild, benign): benign, mild, warm

Antonyms

• inaffable

Derived terms

• affability
• affableness
• affably

Related terms

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “affable”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin aff?bilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.fabl/
• Rhymes: -abl
• Homophone: affables

Adjective

affable (plural affables)

1. affable, amicable, sociable

Related terms

• affablement
• affabuler
• affabilité

Further reading

• “affable” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From Latin pol?tus (“polished”), past participle of poli? (“I polish, smooth”); see polish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??la?t/

Adjective

polite (comparative politer or more polite, superlative politest or most polite)

1. Well-mannered, civilized.
   • 1733, Alexander Pope, Epistle to Bathurst

     He marries, bows at court, and grows polite.

2. (obsolete) Smooth, polished, burnished.

   • rays of light […] falling on […] a polite surface

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:polite

Antonyms

• impolite
• rude

Derived terms

• over-polite
• politeness
• polite literature
• polite society

Related terms

• polish

Translations

Verb

polite (third-person singular simple present polites, present participle politing, simple past and past participle polited)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To polish; to refine; to render polite.

References

• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “polite”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN

Further reading

• polite in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• polite in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• piolet, topile

Italian

Adjective

polite f pl

1. feminine plural of polito

Anagrams

• pilote

Latin

Verb

pol?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of poli?

References

• polite in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• polite in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers