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decorum - 5 dictionary results
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de⋅co⋅rum

  [di-kawr-uhm, -kohr-]
Use decorum in a Sentence
–noun
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.
Origin:
1560–70; < L decōrum, n. use of neut. of decōrus decorous

Synonyms:
1. politeness, manners, dignity. See etiquette.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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de·co·rum   (dĭ-kôr'əm, -kōr'-)   
n.  
  1. Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety: "In the Ireland of the 1940's ... the stolidity of a long, empty, grave face was thought to be the height of decorum and profundity" (John McGahern).
  2. decorums The conventions or requirements of polite behavior: the formalities and decorums of a military funeral.
  3. The appropriateness of an element of an artistic or literary work, such as style or tone, to its particular circumstance or to the composition as a whole.

[Latin decōrum, from decōrus, becoming, handsome; see decorous.]
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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Decorum

De*cor"um\, n. [L. dec[=o]rum, fr. dec[=o]rus. See Decorous.] Propriety of manner or conduct; grace arising from suitableness of speech and behavior to one's own character, or to the place and occasion; decency of conduct; seemliness; that which is seemly or suitable.

Negligent of the duties and decorums of his station. --Hallam.

If your master Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him, That majesty, to keep decorum, must No less beg than a kingdom. --Shak.

Syn: Decorum, Dignity.

Usage: Decorum, in accordance with its etymology, is that which is becoming in outward act or appearance; as, the decorum of a public assembly. Dignity springs from an inward elevation of soul producing a corresponding effect on the manners; as, dignity of personal appearance.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : decorum
Spanish: decoro,
German: der Anstand,
Japanese: 礼儀正しさ
More Translations »

decorum 
1568, from L. neuter of decorus "fit, proper," from decor (see decor). Decorous is attested from 1664.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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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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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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