different between courtly vs elegant

English

Etymology

From Middle English courtly, equivalent to court +? -ly.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?k??tli/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k??tli/

Adjective

courtly (comparative courtlier, superlative courtliest)

1. Befitting of a royal court; reflecting the manners or behaviour of people at court.

   Synonyms: refined, dignified, genteel, well-mannered

   • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act III, Scene 2,^[1]

     Corin: You have too courtly a wit for me; I’ll rest.

   • 1682, Aphra Behn, The Roundheads, or, The Good Old Cause, London: D. Brown et al., Act III, Scene 1, p. 23,^[2]

     […] you must give men of Quality leave to speak in a Language more Gentile and Courtly than the ordinary sort of mankind.

   • 1715, Alexander Pope, The Iliad of Homer, London: Bernard Lintott, Volume 1, Book 3, Observations, p. 11,^[3]

     He is a Master of Civility, no less well-bred to his own Sex than courtly to the other.

   • 1850, Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, Volume 1, Chapter 17, p. 183,^[4]

     As they abased themselves before him, Mr. Micawber took a seat, and waved his hand in his most courtly manner.

   • 1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano, New York: New American Library, 1965, Chapter 1, p. 11,^[5]

     Their voices, the gestures of their refined grimy hands, were unbelievably courtly, delicate. Their carriage suggested the majesty of Aztec princes, their faces obscure sculpturings on Yucatecan ruins.

2. Of or relating to a royal court.
   • a. 1627, John Beaumont, “Horat. Lib. 2. Sat. 6.” in Bosworth-Field with a Taste of the Variety of Other Poems, London: Henry Seile, p. 40,^[6]

     in houres secure from courtly strife

   • 1776, Thomas Paine, Common Sense, Philadelphia, p. 40,^[7]

     The rich are in general slaves to fear, and submit to courtly power with the trembling duplicity of a spaniel.

   • 1857, Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers, London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, Volume 1, Chapter 3, p. 30,^[8]

     He had for years held some clerical office appertaining to courtly matters, which had enabled him to live in London,

3. (obsolete) Overly eager to please or obey.

   Synonyms: flattering, obsequious, servile

   • 1763, Charles Churchill, The Duellist, London: G. Kearsly et al., Book 3, p. 29,^[9]

     Here FLATT’RY, eldest born of guile,

     Weaves with rare skill the silken smile,

     The courtly cringe, the supple bow,

     The private squeeze, the Levee vow,

   • 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, Volume 2, Chapter 7, p. 152,^[10]

     That judgment James had notoriously obtained […] by dismissing scrupulous magistrates, and by placing on the bench other magistrates more courtly.

Derived terms

• courtlily
• courtliness

Related terms

• courteous
• courtlike

Translations

Adverb

courtly (comparative more courtly, superlative most courtly)

1. In the manner of a royal court; in a manner befitting of a royal court.

   Synonym: courtlily

   • 1598, Robert Greene, The Scottish Historie of James the Fourth, London, Act I, Scene 1,^[11]

     Then will I deck thee Princely, instruct thee courtly,

     And present thee to the Queene as my gift.

   • 1673, John Dryden, The Assignation, London: Henry Herringman, Act II, Scene 3, p. 17,^[12]

     […] where, in the name of wonder, have you learn’d to talk so courtly?

   • 1766, Elizabeth Griffith, The Double Mistake, London: J. Almon et al., Act I, Scene 3, p. 12,^[13]

     Very courtly and correctly spoken on all sides, my lord;

   • 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers, New York: Simon & Schuster, Chapter 74, p. 661,^[14]

     The driver waited courtly by the open doors of the saloon.

English

Etymology

From Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin elegans.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l.?.??nt/

Adjective

elegant (comparative more elegant, superlative most elegant)

1. Characterised by or exhibiting elegance.
2. Characterised by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision.

   an elegant solution

3. (Ireland, colloquial, archaic) Fine; doing well.

Synonyms

• (exhibiting elegance): classy, graceful

Antonyms

• clumsy
• haphazard
• inelegant

Derived terms

• elegance

Related terms

• elect
• eligible
• elite

Translations

Anagrams

• angelet

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin ?leg?ns.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

elegant (masculine and feminine plural elegants)

1. elegant

   Antonym: inelegant

Derived terms

• elegantment

Related terms

• elegància
• inelegant

Further reading

• “elegant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “elegant” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “elegant” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “elegant” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from French élégant, from Latin ?leg?ns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el??ant/, [el????an?d?]

Adjective

elegant

1. elegant, smart
2. elegant, neat
3. (adverbial) elegantly, smartly, neatly

Inflection

Derived terms

• uelegant

References

• “elegant” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French elegant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?l????nt/
• Hyphenation: ele?gant
• Rhymes: -?nt

Adjective

elegant (comparative eleganter, superlative elegantst)

1. elegant

Inflection

Synonyms

• sierlijk
• gracieus

Antonyms

• lomp
• plomp

Derived terms

• elegantie

Anagrams

• gelaten

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French elegant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ele??ant/, /el???ant/
• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

elegant (comparative eleganter, superlative am elegantesten)

1. elegant

Declension

Further reading

• “elegant” in Duden online

Middle French

Adjective

elegant m (feminine singular elegante, masculine plural elegants, feminine plural elegantes)

1. elegant

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin elegans, via French élégant

Adjective

elegant (neuter singular elegant, definite singular and plural elegante)

1. elegant

Related terms

• eleganse

References

• “elegant” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin elegans, via French élégant

Adjective

elegant (neuter singular elegant, definite singular and plural elegante)

1. elegant

Related terms

• eleganse

References

• “elegant” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From French élégant, from Latin ?leg?ns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l?.?ant/

Noun

elegant m pers (diminutive elegancik, feminine elegantka)

1. elegant man

Declension

Further reading

• elegant in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• elegant in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

From French élégant, from Latin elegans.

Adjective

elegant m or n (feminine singular elegant?, masculine plural elegan?i, feminine and neuter plural elegante)

1. tasteful

Declension

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin elegans, via French élégant

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l???ant/

Adjective

elegant (comparative elegantare, superlative elegantast)

1. elegant

Declension

See also

• elegans c (noun)

References

• elegant in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• elegant in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• legaten