etiquette

CEFRC1

/ˈɛt.ɪˌkɛt/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The accepted rules for polite behavior.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A label used to indicate that a letter is to be sent by airmail.

Examples

  • It is not etiquette to do so.

  • She was dismayed at their ignorance in etiquette.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The customary behavior of members of a profession, business, law, or sports team towards each other.

  2. The manners or decent behaviour to be observed in social or professional life; conventional decorum; the ceremonial code of polite society.

More examples

In context

  • It's a matter of etiquette.

  • 20 May 2018, Hadley Freeman in The Guardian, Is Meghan Markle the American the royals have needed all along? Much shock was expressed in the British press about the Palace’s utter failure to control the Markles and the Markles’ lack of etiquette.

  • Cycling's complex etiquette contains an unwritten rule that riders in contention for a race win should not be penalised for sheer misfortune.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

At the formal dinner, proper blank required using the correct fork for each course.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

1740, from French étiquette (“property, a little piece of paper, or a mark or title, affixed to a bag or bundle, expressing its contents, a label, ticket”), from Middle French estiquette (“ticket, memorandum”), from the Old French verb estechier, estichier, estequier (“to attach, stick”), (compare Picard estiquier (“to stick, pierce”)), from Frankish *stekan, *stikkjan (“to stick, pierce, sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stikaną, *stikōną, *staikijaną (“to be sharp, pierce, prick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp, to stab”). Akin to Old High German stehhan (“to stick, attach, nail”) (German stechen (“to stick”)), Old English stician (“to pierce, stab, be fastened”). The Frenc...