Beauty
/ˈbjuːti/noun
The quality of being aesthetically pleasing or attractive.
Did you know?The English word entered through Old French *beaute*, ultimately from Latin *bellus* (“pretty, fine”), showing how a simple adjective became one of the most charged words in human culture.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dwē- / *deu̯-
“A debated ancient source behind ideas of pleasingness and goodness in some descendant words, though the exact path to this word is indirect and not fully certain.”
Latin
Latin
bellus
“Pretty, fine, handsome, charming.”
Old French
Old French
beaute
“Beauty, attractiveness, loveliness.”
Middle English
English
beaute
“Beauty, comeliness, attractiveness.”
Modern English
English
beauty
“The quality of being aesthetically pleasing or attractive.”