DEBONAIR
Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 10:10 am
deb·o·nair adjective
1archaic : gentle, courteous
2a : suave, urbane <a debonair performer> b : lighthearted, nonchalant
— deb·o·nair·ly adverb
— deb·o·nair·ness noun
Examples of DEBONAIR
a debonair man in a suit and top hat
Their history, past and recent, may be scribbled with viciousness and deprivation, but the debonair politeness, the good humor, of the Irish I met, who are still among the poorest people in the West, gave me to believe that calamity breeds character. —G. Y. Dryansky, Condé Nast Traveler, November 1994
Origin of DEBONAIR
Middle English debonere, from Anglo-French deboneire, from de bon aire of good family or nature
First Known Use: 13th century
SRC: Merriam Webster website
My father and I always pictured Cary Grant as exemplifying debonair. And then again, William Powell, especially in the Thin Man series, is even more so. Although, I would not call any of the characters in Dashiell Hammett’s book “debonair” as written.
1archaic : gentle, courteous
2a : suave, urbane <a debonair performer> b : lighthearted, nonchalant
— deb·o·nair·ly adverb
— deb·o·nair·ness noun
Examples of DEBONAIR
a debonair man in a suit and top hat
Their history, past and recent, may be scribbled with viciousness and deprivation, but the debonair politeness, the good humor, of the Irish I met, who are still among the poorest people in the West, gave me to believe that calamity breeds character. —G. Y. Dryansky, Condé Nast Traveler, November 1994
Origin of DEBONAIR
Middle English debonere, from Anglo-French deboneire, from de bon aire of good family or nature
First Known Use: 13th century
SRC: Merriam Webster website
My father and I always pictured Cary Grant as exemplifying debonair. And then again, William Powell, especially in the Thin Man series, is even more so. Although, I would not call any of the characters in Dashiell Hammett’s book “debonair” as written.