elegant
Use Elegant in a sentence
ɪ adjective
1.
tastefully fine or luxurious in dress, style, design, etc.: elegant furnishings.
2.
gracefully refined and dignified, as in tastes, habits, or literary style: an elegant young gentleman; an elegant prosodist.
3.
graceful in form or movement: an elegant wave of the hand.
4.
appropriate to refined taste: a man devoted to elegant pursuits.
5.
excellent; fine; superior: an absolutely elegant wine.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin ēlegant- (stem of ēlegāns) tasteful, choice, equivalent to ēleg- (akin to ēlig- select; see elect) + -ant- -ant; orig. present participle of lost v.
1400–50; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin ēlegant- (stem of ēlegāns) tasteful, choice, equivalent to ēleg- (akin to ēlig- select; see elect) + -ant- -ant; orig. present participle of lost v.
Related forms
el·e·gant·ly, adverb
hy·per·el·e·gant, adjective
hy·per·el·e·gant·ly, adverb
o·ver·el·e·gant, adjective
o·ver·el·e·gant·ly, adverb
su·per·el·e·gant, adjective
su·per·el·e·gant·ly, adverb
un·el·e·gant, adjective
un·el·e·gant·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To elegant
00:10
Elegant
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
elegant (ˈɛlɪɡənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | tasteful in dress, style, or design |
| 2. | dignified and graceful in appearance, behaviour, etc |
| 3. | cleverly simple; ingenious: an elegant solution to a problem |
| [C16: from Latin ēlegāns tasteful, related to ēligere to select; see | |
| 'elegantly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
elegant
late 15c., from M.Fr. élégant (15c.), from L. elegantem (nom. elegans) "choice, fine, tasteful," prp. of eligere "select with care, choose." Elegans was originally a term of reproach, "dainty, fastidious;" the notion of "tastefully refined" emerged in classical Latin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
elegant
adj. [common; from mathematical usage] Combining simplicity, power, and a certain ineffable grace of design. Higher praise than `clever', `winning', or even cuspy.The French aviator, adventurer, and author Antoine de Saint-Exupe'ry, probably best known for his classic children's book "The Little Prince", was also an aircraft designer. He gave us perhaps the best definition of engineering elegance when he said "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
Jargon
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
elegant definition
(From Mathematics) Combining simplicity, power, and a certain ineffable grace of design. Higher praise than "clever", "winning" or even cuspy.
The French aviator, adventurer, and author Antoine de Saint-Exup'ery, probably best known for his classic children's book "The Little Prince", was also an aircraft designer. He gave us perhaps the best definition of engineering elegance when he said "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
[Jargon File]
(1994-11-29)
Example sentences
The secret: a beautiful and elegant form of crystal engineering.
He isn't handsome but he is rich enough to have an elegant car and a big diamond ring.
Even in the most elegant venue, that soft holiday reindeer sweater will work as well as a sport jacket.
Luckily, museum dining has evolved from basic cafeteria set-ups to restaurants and bars that range from casual to elegant.
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