Elegant
/ˈɛl.ɪ.ɡənt/noun
Pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.
Did you know?Elegant comes from Latin *elegans*, originally meaning “selecting” or “choosing carefully,” from *eligere* (“to pick out”), so the word once carried the energy of discernment, not just beauty.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leg-
“to gather, pick out, collect”
Latin
Latin
eligere
“to choose, pick out”
Latin
Latin
elegans
“choosing well; tasteful, refined”
Old French
Old French
elegant
“elegant, graceful, fine”
Late Middle English
English
elegant
“graceful, tasteful, well-proportioned”
Modern English
English
elegant
“pleasingly graceful and stylish”
Explore more surprising origins