Apedia

Urbane City Adjective Polished July Er Bayn Slickers Country

Word urbane
Date July 26, 2021
Type adjective
Syllables er-BAYN
Etymology City slickers and country folk have long debated whether life is better in town or in the wide-open spaces, and urbane is a term that springs from the throes of that debate. In its earliest English uses, urbane was synonymous with its close relative urban ("of, relating to, characteristic of, or constituting a city"). Both words come from the Latin adjective urbanus ("urban, urbane"), which in turn is derived from urbs, meaning "city." Urbane developed its modern sense denoting savoir faire from the belief (no doubt fostered by city dwellers) that living in the city made one more suave and polished than did leading a rural life.
Examples "When had my willful and boorish cousin turned into this urbane young artist greeting the guests at her opening reception?" wondered James.

"Offstage, he could be sensitive or surly, charming or sometimes combative, an unabashed hedonist or an urbane aficionado of film, literature and theater." — George Varga, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jun. 2021
Definition : notably polite or polished in manner

Tags: wordoftheday::adjective

Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.

Next card: Augment ɔːɡˈment ˌɔːɡmenˈteɪʃn augmentation began aug·ment verb sth

Previous card: Jeremiad jeremiah wind gigawatts july noun jair-uh-mye-ud jewish

Up to card list: Word of the Day