politesse
See also: Politesse
English
Etymology
From French politesse, from Italian politezza, from polito, past participle of pulire (“to clean”), from Latin polire, present active infinite form of poliō (“I polish”).
Noun
politesse (countable and uncountable, plural politesses)
- Civility, politeness, courtesy or gallantry; or an instance of this.
- 1968, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger (lyrics and music), “Sympathy for the Devil”, in Beggars Banquet, performed by Rolling Stones:
- So if you meet me, have some courtesy / Have some sympathy, and some taste / Use all your well-learned politesse / Or I'll lay your soul to waste
- 1978, Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea, Vintage, published 1999, pages 56–57:
- The reference in his letter to ‘having a drink’ is of course just an empty politesse.
- 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 7:
- The soft politesse concealed a sharp observer, a gleaner of information, cool under pressure and used to having to think several steps ahead […]
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pɔ.li.tɛs/
- Rhymes: -ɛs
Audio (file)
Noun
politesse f (countable and uncountable, plural politesses)
- (uncountable) politeness, courtesy
- Antonym: impolitesse
- Near-synonym: courtoisie
- une formule de politesse ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- par politesse ― out of courtesy, out of politeness, for politeness' sake
- (countable) polite remark or action
- Near-synonyms: courtoisie, gentillesse
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “politesse”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
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