suavity en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English suavite, suavitee, suavyte, from Middle French suavité and its etymon Latin suāvitās.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) The quality of being sweet or pleasing to the mind; agreeableness; pleasantness
suavity of language, conversation, or address
[N]othing, not even the crude curves of the railway, can utterly deform the suavity of contour of one bay after another along the whole reach of the Riviera.
1874, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Ordered South”, in Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers, London: C[harles] Kegan Paul & Co., […], published 1881, →OCLC, pages 142–143:suavity of manners
[T]he brothers’ gowns and broad straw hats were hanging up, each with his religious name upon a board,—names full of legendary suavity and interest, such as Basil, Hilarion, Raphael, or Pacifique; […]
1879, Robert Louis Stevenson, “[Our Lady of the Snows.] The Monks.”, in Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes, 1st American edition, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 101:
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(countable, uncountable) The quality of being suave.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity, There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
1939, T. S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats:
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(countable, obsolete, uncountable) Sweetness or agreeableness to the senses, especially of taste and odour.
Whan this ſayd monument diſcouered was / Suche a ſuauite and fragrant odoure / Aſcended from the corps by ſingular grace / Paſſyng all worldly ſwetnes and ſauour / That all there present that day and hour / Suppoſed they had ben / in the felicite / Of erthely paradiſe / without ambiguite.
1513, Henry Bradshaw, edited by Edward Hawkins, The Holy Lyfe and History of Saynt Werburge: Very Frutefull for All Christen People to Rede (Remains Historical & Literary Connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester Published by The Chetham Society; volume XV), […] The Chetham Society, published 1848:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| suavities | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (3)
fi sulavakäytöksisyys (the quality of being sweet or pleasing to the mind) · fr courtoisie (the quality of being sweet or pleasing to the mind) · nl hoflijkheid (the quality of being sweet or pleasing to the mind)