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debonair

 - 3 dictionary results

deb⋅o⋅nair

  [deb-uh-nair]
Use debonair in a Sentence
–adjective
1. courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm: a debonair gentleman.
2. jaunty; carefree; sprightly.
Also, deb⋅o⋅naire, deb⋅on⋅naire.

Origin:
1175–1225; ME debone(i)re < AF; OF debonaire, orig. phrase de bon aire of good lineage

Related forms:
deb⋅o⋅nair⋅ly, adverb
deb⋅o⋅nair⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. urbane, suave, elegant, polished.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To debonair
deb·o·nair also deb·o·naire   (děb'ə-nâr')   
adj.  

  1. Suave; urbane.

  2. Affable; genial.

  3. Carefree and gay; jaunty.


[Middle English debonaire, gracious, kindly, from Old French, from de bon aire, of good lineage or disposition : de, of (from Latin dē; see de-) + bon, bonne, good (from Latin bonus; see deu-2 in Indo-European roots) + aire, nest, family; see aerie.]
deb'o·nair'ly adv., deb'o·nair'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

debonair 
c.1225, from O.Fr., from de bon' aire "of good race," originally used of hawks, hence, "thoroughbred" (opposite of Fr. demalaire). Used in M.E. to mean "docile, courteous," it became obsolete and was revived with an altered sense of "pleasant, affable" (1685).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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