Ever decorous, she periodically excuses herself to another room rather than allow a guest to witness her blowing her nose. Will Hermes
decorouslyadverb
decorousnessnoun
Did you know?
Decorous Got Its Start With Etiquette
The current meaning of decorous dates from the mid-17th century. One of the word's earliest recorded uses appears in a book titled The Rules of Civility (1673): "It is not decorous to look in the Glass, to comb, brush, or do any thing of that nature to ourselves, whilst the said person be in the Room." Decorous for a time had another meaning as well—"fitting or appropriate"—but that now-obsolete sense seems to have existed for only a few decades in the 17th century. Decorous derives from the Latin word decorus, an adjective created from the noun decor, meaning "beauty" or "grace." Decor is akin to the Latin verb decēre ("to be fitting"), which is the source of our adjective decent. It is only fitting, then, that decent can be a synonym of decorous.
we were asked to be on our most decorous behavior at the formal event the oppressively decorous standards of a royal court
Recent Examples on the WebSome found his methods offensive, or at least insufficiently decorous.New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 The vote, shown on national television, was a decorous, solemn affair. Krishan Francis, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2022 The vote, shown on national television, was a decorous, solemn affair. Krishan Francis, ajc, 20 July 2022 Enacted under James I and invoking his authority, the code makes the point in less decorous terms that no rights protected anyone to whom the laws applied. Marilynne Robinson, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 Many high-profile litigants wear notably decorous hairstyles and accessories to court. Rory Satran, WSJ, 23 May 2022 Over the millennia, the flute has come to be seen as delicate, decorous, ethereal. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2021 The disclosure of a draft opinion that would overrule Roe v. Wade, along with related reports of the court’s internal workings, has transformed a decorous and guarded institution into one riven by politics.New York Times, 11 May 2022 The costume, the jewelry, the decorous pose are all conveyed with superb dexterity, dazzling finesse.Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin decorus, from decor beauty, grace; akin to Latin decēre to be fitting — more at decent