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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary el·e·gant ETYMOLOGY Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin elegant-, elegans; akin to Latin eligere to select — more at elect DATE 15th century 1. marked by elegance elegant clothes an elegant solution 2. of a high grade or quality : splendid elegant gems priced at hundreds of thousands of dollars Synonyms: see choice • el·e·gant·ly adverb English Etymology elegant c.1485, from M.Fr . élégant (15c.), from L. elegantem (nom.elegans) "choice, fine, tasteful," prp. ofeligere "select with care, choose." Elegans was originally a term of reproach, "dainty, fastidious;" the notion of "tastefully refined" emerged in classical L.http://M.Fr Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ elegant ele·gant / 5eli^Ent / adjective1. (of people or their behaviour 人或其举止) attractive and showing a good sense of style 优美的；文雅的 SYN stylish :
She was tall and elegant. 她身材修长,优雅大方。 2. (of clothes, places and things 衣服、地方及物品) attractive and designed well 漂亮雅致的；陈设讲究的；精美的 SYN stylish :
an elegant dress 高雅的连衣裙 an elegant room / restaurant 雅致的房间/餐厅 3. (of a plan or an idea 计划或想法) clever but simple 简炼的；简洁的；简明的: an elegant solution to the problem 解决这个问题的简要方法 • ele·gance / 5eli^Ens / noun [U] : She dresses with casual elegance. 她的穿着随意而不失雅致。 His writing combines elegance and wit. 他的文章典雅而有风趣。 • ele·gant·ly adv.: elegantly dressed 穿着考究 elegantly furnished 布置精美 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English elegant adj. VERBS be, feel, look ADV. extremely, very | quite, rather | beautifully the beautifully elegant spire of the church | casually, quietly the quietly elegant wives of the directors | impossibly, supremely the foyer of an impossibly elegant Paris hotel Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition adj. Function: adjective Synonyms: CHOICE , dainty, delicate, exquisite, rare, recherché, select, superior Related Words: august, grand, majestic, noble, stately; beautiful, graceful, handsome, lovely; cultivated, cultured, finished, polished, refined, tasteful; luxurious, opulent, sumptuous Contrasted Words: crude, rough, rude, uncouth; grotesque Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: elegant pine weevil elegant I. el·e·gant \-nt\ adjective Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French elegant, from Latin elegant- elegans; akin to Latin eligere to choose, select — more at elect 1. a. : characterized by refined grace or dignified propriety especially in appearance or manner : tastefully correct and refined < she is not conventionally beautiful … but she is charming to look at and elegant to her fingertips — John Martin > b. : characterized by tasteful richness especially of design or ornamentation : luxurious or sumptuous in a refined way < carrying his briefcase, an elegant piece of luggage of excellent leather and the best bronze hardware — Lionel Trilling > < in the glade, still standing in it, many of them after two hundred years, are thirty-nine elegant white houses — New Yorker > c. : characterized by dignified gracefulness and restrained beauty especially in style or performance : polished < an elegant novel, one with the richness, restraint, and subtle obliquity which belong properly to elegance — Saturday Review > d. : characterized by scientific precision, neatness, and simplicity < mathematicians say of a problem, a demonstration, or a solution in their science, when it exhibits perfect lucidity and form, that it is elegant — Isabel Paterson > 2. pharmacy : pleasant in taste, attractive in appearance, and free from objectionable odor < an elegant nontoxic emulsion > 3. : of a high grade or quality : excellent , fine , splendid < he agreed with her that it must be an elegant place and he didn't wonder she wanted to go there — J.C.Lincoln > Synonyms: see choice II. ele·gant noun or élé·gant \ālāgäⁿ\ (plural elegants or élégants \-äⁿ(z)\) Etymology: French élégant, from élégant, adjective, from Middle French elegant : a fashionable man : dandy |
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