[di-kawr-uh
m, -kohr-] 
| 1. | dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc. |
| 2. | the quality or state of being decorous; orderliness; regularity. |
| 3. | Usually, decorums. an observance or requirement of polite society. |
| de·co·rum (dĭ-kôr'əm, -kōr'-) n.
[Latin decōrum, from decōrus, becoming, handsome; see decorous.] |
decorum
in literary style, the appropriate rendering of a character, action, speech, or scene. The concept of literary propriety, in its simplest stage of development, was outlined by Aristotle. In later classical criticism, the Roman poet Horace maintained that to retain its unity, a work of art must be consistent in every aspect: the subject or theme must be dealt with in the proper diction, metre, form, and tone. Farcical characters should speak in a manner befitting their social position; kings should intone with the elegance and dignity commensurate with their rank
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