Wiktionary

beau

See also: Beau and beau-

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English beau, beu, bew, bewe, from Old French beau, from Latin bellus (“beautiful”). Doublet of bello and boo.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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beau (plural beaux or beaus)

  1. (dated) A man with a reputation for fine dress and etiquette; a dandy or fop.
    Coordinate term: belle
    • 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XXI, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume I, London: [...] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 290:
      “[…]—I suppose your brother was quite a beau, Miss Dashwood, before he married, as he was so rich?”
      “Upon my word,” replied Elinor, “I cannot tell you, for I do not perfectly comprehend the meaning of the word. But this I can say, that if he ever was a beau before he married, he is one still, for there is not the smallest alteration in him.”
      “Oh! dear! one never thinks of married men’s being beaux—they have something else to do.”
    • 1824, Cut and Come again [pseudonym], “On Cutting”, in Tobias Merton [pseudonym; Samuel Egerton Brydges and Egerton Anthony Brydges], editor, The Literary Magnet of the Belles Lettres, Science, and the Fine Arts: […], volume II, London: William Charlton Wright, […], page 19:
      [H]e could not but turn with ineffable contempt to the tawdry beaus and belles from the city, who presumed to mingle in the fashionable gala.
  2. (dated) A male lover; a boyfriend.
    • 1917, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, page 142:
      Hannah's beau takes all her time 'n' thought, and when she gits a husband her mother'll be out o' sight and out o' mind.
    • 1923, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “Chapter 8”, in Emily of New Moon:
      “I don’t see how. But anyhow, you’ll be rich some day—your Aunt Elizabeth will likely leave you all her money, Mother says. So I don’t care if you are living on charity—I love you and I’m going to stick up for you. Have you got a beau, Emily?”
      “No,” cried Emily, blushing violently and quite scandalized at the idea. “Why, I’m only eleven.”
    • 2009 December 10, Philippa Bourke, Monsters and Critics‎[1]:
      Kristin Davis has taken time out to enjoy the surf and sand with her Australian beau, photographer Russell James.
    • 2012 October 24, Jon Caramanica, “No More Kid Stuff for Taylor Swift”, in The New York Times‎[2], →ISSN:
      Reporters ask her about her love life—her current beau is rumored to be Conor Kennedy, a grandson of Robert F. Kennedy—even if they get nowhere.
  3. A male escort.
  4. A suitor of a lady.

Derived terms

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Translations

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boyfriend — see boyfriend

Verb

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beau (third-person singular simple present beaus, present participle beauing, simple past and past participle beaued)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To act as a beau (towards); to court or woo.
    • 2013, Philipp Meyer, The Son, Simon & Schuster, published 2014, page 74:
      Everyone was feeling grandacious, as if getting dressed for a night of beauing.

See also

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References

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Anagrams

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Aromanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Latin bibō. Compare Romanian bea, beau.

Verb

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beau first-singular present indicative (third-person singular present indicative bea, past participle biutã)

  1. to drink
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French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Middle French beau, from Old French biau, bel, from Latin bellus.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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beau (masculine singular before vowel bel, feminine belle, masculine plural beaux, feminine plural belles)

  1. handsome, fine, attractive
  2. nice
  3. fair (weather)
    Il fait beau.
    It is nice out.

Usage notes

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  • To avoid hiatus, the form bel is used before masculine singular nouns that begin with a vowel or mute h.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → English: beau, Beau, belle, Belle

Noun

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beau m (plural beaux)

  1. (Louisiana) boyfriend

Coordinate terms

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Adverb

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beau

  1. in vain
    J’ai beau trimé
    No matter how hard I try / Try as I might

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old French bel, biau, from Latin bellus, from Old Latin *duenelos. Doublet of bel.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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beau

  1. good, fine

References

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Middle French

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old French beau, one of the variants of biau.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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beau m (feminine singular belle, masculine plural beaux, feminine plural belles)

  1. beautiful; handsome; attractive

Descendants

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Old French

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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beau m (oblique and nominative feminine singular bele)

  1. Alternative form of biau
    • c. 1190, Marie de France, Lai de Isclavret:
      beaus chevalers e bons esteit
      e noblement se cunteneit.
      Hansome knight and good was he
      and he behaved nobly.

Declension

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Declension of beau
Number Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Singular Subject beaus bele beau
Oblique beau bele beau
Plural Subject beau beles beau
Oblique beaus beles beau

Romanian

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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beau

  1. inflection of bea:
    1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. third-person plural present/imperfect indicative
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