Word of the Day

: May 26, 2008

decorous

adjective DECK-er-us

What It Means

: marked by propriety and good taste : correct

decorous in Context

Nina and Mark had hoped to have a casual beach wedding, but her parents insisted on a formal, highly decorous ceremony in their church.

Did You Know?

The current meaning of "decorous" dates from the mid-17th century. One of the word's earliest recorded uses appeared in a book titled The Rules of Civility (1673): "It is not decorous to look in the Glass, to comb, brush, or do any thing of that nature to ourselves, whilst the said person be in the Room." (There is also a slightly older sense of "decorous" that means "fitting, appropriate," but that sense is now obsolete.) "Decorous" derives from the Latin word "decorus," an adjective created from the noun "decor," meaning "beauty" or "grace." "Decor" is akin to the Latin verb "decēre" ("to be fitting"), which is the source of our adjective "decent." It is only fitting, then, that "decent" can be a synonym of "decorous."