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debonnaire

 - 2 dictionary results

deb⋅o⋅nair

[deb-uh-nair]
–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


deb⋅o⋅nair⋅ly, adverb
deb⋅o⋅nair⋅ness, noun


1. urbane, suave, elegant, polished.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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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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