different between elegant vs posh

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

English

Etymology

Unknown.

Most likely derived from Romani posh (“half”), either because posh-kooroona (“half a crown”) (originally a substantial sum of money) was used metaphorically for anything pricey or upper-class, or because posh-houri (“half-penny”) became a general term for money.

A period slang dictionary defines "posh" as a term used by thieves for "money : generic, but specifically, a halfpenny or other small coin". An example is given from Page's Eavesdropper (1888): "They used such funny terms: 'brads,' and 'dibbs,' and 'mopusses,' and 'posh' ... at last it was borne in upon me that they were talking about money."

Evidence exists for a slang sense from the 1890s meaning dandy, which is quite possibly related.

A popular folk etymology holds that the term is an acronym for "port out, starboard home", describing the cooler, north-facing cabins taken by the most aristocratic or rich passengers travelling from Britain to India and back. However, there is no evidence for this claim.

See also the articles mentioned in the References section below for additional discussion.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /p??/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??/, IPA^(key): /p???/ (humorous or upper-class)
• Rhymes: -??

Adjective

posh (comparative posher or more posh, superlative poshest or most posh)

1. Associated with the upper classes.

2. Stylish, elegant, exclusive (expensive).

3. (usually offensive, especially in Scotland and Northern England) Snobbish, materialistic, prejudiced, under the illusion that one is better than everyone else.

Quotations

• 1919: "Well, it ain't one of the classic events. It were run over there." Docker jerked a thumb vaguely in the direction of France. "At a 'Concours Hippique,' which is posh for 'Race Meeting.' — Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, June 18, 1919

Derived terms

• posh wank
• poshen
• poshdom
• poshful
• poshly
• poshness
• posho
• poshy

Translations

Interjection

posh!

1. An exclamation expressing derision.
   • 1889: "The czar! Posh! I slap my fingers--I snap my fingers at him." — Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Was

Noun

posh (uncountable)

1. fragments produced by an impact
2. slush

Verb

posh (third-person singular simple present poshes, present participle poshing, simple past and past participle poshed)

1. (normally in the phrasal verb posh up) To make posh, or posher.

   Synonym: poshen

References

• posh at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Hosp., OHPs, PHOs, Soph, hops, hosp, phos, shop, soph

Maricopa

Noun

posh

1. cat

Romani

Alternative forms

• push

Etymology

From Old Armenian ???? (p?oši). Doublet of poshík.

Noun

posh

1. dust

References

• A?a?ean, Hra??eay (1979) , “????”, in Hayer?n armatakan ba?aran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume IV, 2nd edition, reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 517a
• Vaillant, Jean-Alexandre (1868) , “pos'”, in Grammaire, dialogues et vocabulaire de la langue des Bohémiens ou Cigains (in French), Paris: Maisonneuve, page 123a