A WORD A DAY.
DEBONAIR. This word represents a linguistic merger of the Old French de bon aire, literally “of a good mien or disposition.” The de is the Latin de, “of’’; bon is from the Latin bonus, “good,” and aire was a substantive which signified “place, stock, race; disposition.” Our early use of the word was to express “graciousness, kindliness,” but there is a growing tendency to restrict it to the sense of “affable and courteous appearance or manners, characterized by grace and light-heartedness.”
The spellings “debonaire” and “debonnaire” are recognized, but the one employed as the caption hereof is the preferred form. Deb-o-nair is accented on the third syllable; sound e as in end, o as in obey, ai as a in care. “The blithe and debonair manners of the young knight were a tribute to his schooling.”
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19320927.2.97
Bibliographic details
Southland Times, Issue 21822, 27 September 1932, Page 6
Word Count
140A WORD A DAY. Southland Times, Issue 21822, 27 September 1932, Page 6
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