Twee is an adjective meaning affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint. It originates from an alteration of the word 'sweet' in baby talk and is used to describe things that have gone beyond agreeable to the cloying.
Twee, aşırı süslü, narin, sevimli veya tuhaf anlamına gelen bir sıfattır. Kökeni, 'tatlı' kelimesinin bebek konuşmasındaki bir değişiminden gelir ve aşırı derecede hoş olmaktan ziyade bayıcı hale gelmiş şeyleri tanımlamak için kullanılır.
| Word | twee |
|---|---|
| Date | April 11, 2016 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | TWEE |
| Etymology | Most adults wouldn't be caught dead saying, "Oh, look at the twee little birdie!" but they probably wouldn't be averse to saying: "He went fishing with his dad," "She works as a nanny," or "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Anyone who uses dad, nanny, or buddy owes a debt to "baby talk," a term used for both the childish speech adults adopt when addressing youngsters and for the speech of small children who are just learning to talk. Twee also originated in baby talk as an alteration of sweet. In the early 1900s, it was a term of affection, but nowadays British speakers and writers—and, increasingly, Americans as well—use twee for things that have passed beyond agreeable and into the realm of cloying. |
| Examples | The cutesy knickknacks sold in that shop are a bit twee for my taste. "Some of the footage from decades gone by showcases amusingly twee TV staging and set design…." — Jack Seale, The Guardian, 11 Mar. 2016 . |
| Definition | : (chiefly British) affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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