politeadj.n.

Brit.

/pəˈlʌɪt/, U.S.

/pəˈlaɪt/

Forms: Middle English polit, Middle English pollyte, Middle English polyt, 1500s–1600s polyte, 1500s– polite; Scottish pre-1700 poleit, pre-1700 polit, pre-1700 polyt, pre-1700 polyte, pre-1700 1700s– polite; also Irish English (northern) 1900s– plite.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin polītus.

Etymology: < classical Latin polītus, past participle of polīre to smooth, to polish (see polish v.), also as adjective in figurative senses (of people, their manners, or their appearance, or of writings or activities) polished, elegant, accomplished, refined, cultivated, courteous. Compare Old French, Middle French, French poli smooth, shiny (c1160), (of words) careful, well-chosen (late 12th cent.), (of words) cultured (1580), (of a people or country) civilized (1681), (of a person) courteous, well-mannered (1694), Old Occitan polit (of a word in a poem) well-chosen (c1160), smooth, shiny (13th cent.), Catalan polit (14th cent.), Spanish pulido polished (literally and figuratively), refined (late 13th cent.), Italian polito smooth, shiny, (of writing or speech) well-chosen, polished, refined (a1327).Attested earlier as a surname: Robertus Polyte (1263), William Polyt (1313). N.E.D. (1907) gives the pronunciation as (poləi·t) /pə(ʊ)ˈlaɪt/.

A. adj.

†1.

a. Smoothed, polished, burnished. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > flatness or levelness > smoothness > [adjective] > smooth and polished or glossy

slighta1300

politea1398

well-burnishedc1400

well-polished1485

snod?a1500

sleeked1513

sneith1513

snog1513

sleek1589

enamelled1600

polished1649

slid1719

waxen1722

glazy1724

smolt1837

patent leather1904

smarmy1909

ciré1921

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > materials having undergone process > [adjective] > smoothed or polished

polisheda1382

politea1398

burnishedc1400

rubbed?c1425

levigated1578

expolite1592

smoothened1818

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 197^v Berill is..yliche in grene colour to Smaragde but it is wiþ palenesse and polit.

c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 1499 (MED) The Arche withinne & without was hiled with golde polyt.

1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) x. l. 388 Throu polyt platis with poyntis persyt thair.

1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour iii. xxii. sig. giii^v The brightnes of the science appereth polite and clere.

1669 W. Simpson Hydrologia Chymica 74 Many periapta become effectual by being such polite bodies.

1676 J. Evelyn Philos. Disc. Earth 35 Potters-Earth..became like Sand..exceeding polite and smooth.

1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. v. 731 Polite Bodies, as Looking-Glasses.

a1727 I. Newton Opticks (1730) iii. i. 329 It cleaves with a glossy polite Surface.

1737 W. Whiston tr. Josephus Antiq. Jews xv. ix, in tr. Josephus Genuine Wks. 498 Edifices..made of the politest stone.

1772 B. Martin Typographia Naturalis 6 There is a secret Quality in some Leaves of a close and solid texture, and even a fine polite surface, which will cause the Glue to adhere.

b. Clean; neat, orderly. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > [adjective] > clean and tidy

smug1598

polite1602

tidy1706

tosh1776

tidy-looking1825

speck and span1840

spick and span1846

toshy1856

spick1882

the world > relative properties > order > [adjective] > tidy

queemc1450

trig1513

trimc1521

neat1594

polite1602

terse1602

unlittered1612

ship-shape1644

snod1717

tight1720

redd1753

(as) neat (also clean) as a (new) pin1769

mack1825

tidy1828

slick1833

ship-shapely1843

trimly1858

taut1870

1602 B. Jonson Poetaster iii. i. sig. D3 I am enamord of this streete now..tis so polite, and terse.

1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 427 At Suitz..the people..keep their houses neat and cleanly, and withal very polite and in good repair.

a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 76 To preserve these Chambers of the dead polite and clean.

a. Of language, the arts, or other intellectual pursuits: refined, elegant, scholarly; exhibiting good or restrained taste.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > refinement > [adjective]

polisheda1382

dainteousc1386

polite?a1500

delicatea1533

courtly1535

civil1551

court-like1552

well-refined1575

nice1588

perpolite1592

politic1596

soft1599

terse1628

refine1646

refined1650

elegant1652

genteel1678

chastea1797

spirituala1806

aesthetic1844

nicey1859

raffiné1865

nuttish1869

too-tooa1884

sophisticated1895

lavender1928

society > leisure > the arts > the arts in general > [adjective] > qualities of works generally

wateryc1230

polite?a1500

meagre1539

over-laboured1579

bald1589

spiritless1592

light1597

meretricious1633

standing1661

effectual1662

airy1664

severe1665

correct1676

enervatea1704

free1728

classic1743

academic1752

academical1752

chaste1753

nerveless1763

epic1769

crude1786

effective1790

creative1791

soulless1794

mannered1796

manneristical1830

manneristic1837

subjective1840

inartisticala1849

abstract1857

inartistic1859

literary1900

period1905

atmospheric1908

dateless1908

atmosphered1920

non-naturalistic1925

self-indulgent1926

free-styled1933

soft-centred1935

freestyle1938

pseudish1938

decadent1942

post-human1944

kitschy1946

faux-naïf1958

spare1965

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > elegance > [adjective] > refined or cultured

polite?a1500

fileda1533

facetious1542

exquisited1581

refined1582

smooth1589

perpolite1592

terse1628

washed1628

refine1646

parliamentary1789

literary1793

urbane1800

a1500 R. Henryson in tr. Æsop Fables Prol. l. 3 in Poems (1981) 3 Polite termes of sweit rethore Richt plesand ar vnto the eir of man.

1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. v. sig. Cij^v That they speke none englisshe but that, whiche is cleane, polite, perfectly, and articulately pronounced.

?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) 836 in Shorter Poems (2003) 58 Ȝone is..the court rethoricall, Of polit termys.

1612 J. Selden in M. Drayton Poly-olbion vi. Illustr. 98 That polite Poem (in whose composition Apollo seemes to haue giuen personall aide).

1656 Vindic. Jud. in Phenix (1708) No. 24. 392 Your Worship cannot expect either prolix or polite discourses upon so sad a subject; for who can be ambitious in his own calamity?

1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) Pref. p. xlix All the Lovers of Polite Learning..give me thanks.

1726 C. D'Anvers Craftsman (1727) i. 4 My natural inclination to the politer arts.

1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator II. xii. 360 Dancing, Musick, or any of the politer accomplishments, were his Aversion.

1786 J. Bonnycastle Introd. Astron. 12 One of the most useful branches of a polite..education.

1816 L. Murray Eng. Gram. Illustr. (ed. 3) I. ii. vi. 174 Every polite tongue has its own rules.

1891 Speaker 2 May 532/1 In it metaphysics have again condescended to speak the language of polite letters.

1952 A. Wilson Hemlock & After i. v. 98 He seemed to regard any literary enterprise as a sort of polite fiction for a brothel.

1977 V. S. Pritchett Gentle Barbarian i. 3 Ivan [Turgenev]'s mother, Varvara Petrovna, noted in French, the polite language of her class, that the new baby was twenty-one inches long.

2003 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 24 Aug. 16 He [sc. Smollett] spent the next quarter century scratching out a subsistence living on the margins of polite literature, ruining his health along the way.

b. Of a person, social group, etc.: refined; cultured, cultivated; (also) well-regulated. Now chiefly in polite society, circles, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > refinement > [adjective] > specifically of persons

refined1598

polite1601

inlanda1616

researched1636

spirituel1673

elegant1691

kid-gloved1848

kid glove1856

fine-drawn1876

rose water1883

sophisticated1895

subtle1904

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > branch of knowledge > humanistic studies > [adjective] > cultured

polite1601

improved1617

cultivated1645

well-cultured1760

cultured1777

high-minded1827

highbrow1908

kulturny1955

1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love iv. iii. sig. G4 How he do's all to be qualifie her!..as if there were not others in place, as..Polite, as she.

1629 J. Wadsworth Eng. Spanish Pilgrime viii. 91 One of the politest wits in the Kingdome for the Law.

a1664 K. Philips To Abp. of Canterbury in Poems (1667) 166 Majestick sweetness, temper'd and refin'd, In a Polite, and comprehensive Mind.

1691 J. Hartcliffe Treat. Virtues 7 The more polite..sort of Men place their Felicity in Honours.

1704 J. Swift Tale of Tub v. 120 It is become the Fashion and Humor most applauded among the first Authors of this Polite and Learned Age.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 39. ¶2 In all the polite Nations of the World, this part of the Drama has met with Publick Encouragement.

1755 Connoisseur (1756) No. 84. 506 This roughness, which clings to the seaman's behaviour like tar to his trowsers, makes him unfit for all civil and polite society.

1772 W. Jones Poems 197 A very polite scholar, who has lately translated sixteen Odes of Hafez.

1803 in A. Candler Poet. Attempts 16 Several of her Poems having been read and approved, in polite and literary circles.

1827 W. Scott Surgeon's Daughter in Chron. Canongate 1st Ser. II. ii. 33 He..was unwilling to subject himself to that which was exacted in polite society.

1891 G. B. Shaw Quintessence of Ibsenism iv. 102 Rebecca, then a mere adventuress fighting for a foothold in polite society.

1894 C. H. H. Parry Stud. Great Composers: Beethoven 166 His behaviour was not of the kind affected by polite Viennese.

1902 W. James Varieties Relig. Experience viii. 186 The cupidities, complications, and cruelties of our polite civilization are profoundly unsatisfying.

1938 P. Kavanagh Green Fool xvi. 159 She talked like one who had lived a while in society houses, & this was true. She was far too polite for a rank kitchen.

1940 John o' London's Weekly 3 May 149/3 Edinburgh being very ‘refained’, the word [sc. keelie] is seldom used in the more polite society.

2004 Daily Tel. (Sydney) (Nexis) 20 Sept. 5 No one he was berating knew what he was on about. In polite circles, this is called being ‘unpredictable’.

c. Courteous, behaving in a manner that is respectful or considerate of others; well-mannered.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > [adjective]

metheOE

hendc1225

debonairc1230

hendya1250

courteousc1275

hendlyc1275

bonairc1300

quaintc1300

sweetc1330

graciousa1375

meetha1400

debonary1402

debonariousc1485

humanec1500

civil1565

genty1660

discreet1739

polite1751

politeful1832

the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > [adjective] > well-mannered > polished or refined

well-polished1485

civil?1538

politic1596

cult1598

refined1598

inlanda1616

facete1616

urbane1623

terse1628

gentilitat1632

polite1751

politeful1832

1751 E. Justice Amelia 193 I am much concern'd that the Gentleman should make you pay Ten Shillings for that trifling Present I sent you, but that Family is not capable of a polite Action.

1772 H. Mackenzie Man of World (1823) ii. xx. 492 The French are the politest enemies in the world.

1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xix. 151 Narses..was endowed with the most polite and amiable manners.

1807 G. Crabbe Parish Reg. iii, in Poems 128 To them, to all, he was polite and free.

1831 J. Sinclair Corr. II. 426 He sent me the following polite acknowledgment of his having received the work.

1883 Manch. Guard. 22 Oct. 5/5 Lord Dufferin obtains..polite promises, but is not in a position to get anything more.

1904 Collier's 7 May 9/2 The raw fish was a novelty which even the bravest military attaché and the politest correspondent dared not attempt.

1946 A. Christie Hollow xix. 168 ‘Really?’ There was polite disbelief in the inspector's tone.

1990 M. Wesley Sensible Life (BNC) 175 I must do the polite thing..and write to Flora's mother.

B. n.

1. With plural agreement. With the. Refined or cultured people as a class. Cf. A. 2b.

ΚΠ

1711 E. Ward Life Don Quixote v. xxii. 422 His Feats of Arms, Amours, and Worth, Are well and artfully set forth, As the Polite and Learn'd may see In the same ancient History.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones V. xiii. i. 6 Lastly, come Experience long conversant with the Wise, the Good, the Learned, and the Polite .

1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. xv. 484 When Christianity was introduced among the rich and the polite.

1802 J. Walker Crit. Pronouncing Dict. (ed. 3) at Mischievous In language, as in many other cases, it is safer to be wrong with the polite than right with the vulgar.

1840 T. B. Macaulay Ranke's Hist. in Ess. (1851) II. 142 Whatever the polite and learned may think.

a1894 R. L. Stevenson In South Seas (1896) i. xiii. 128 Such being the attitude of the intelligent and the polite.

1933 Times 13 Jan. 13/4 It is to be feared that Horace has lost ground, though within living memory he was constantly quoted in senates and was a passport among the polite throughout Europe.

1998 Australian (Nexis) 21 Nov. r12 He marries exquisite Eve Frame.., becoming a powerful misfit among the polite, and viperish.

2. colloquial. to do the polite (with thing understood): to perform a courteous action, to behave politely. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > be courteous [verb (intransitive)]

to do the polite1826

to do the civil1838

1826 J. S. in P. G. Patmore Rejected Articles 157 I hate and detest his awkward attempts at what Ned calls ‘doing the polite’.

1856 G. J. Whyte-Melville Kate Coventry iii John ‘doing the polite’, and laughing as he..introduced ‘Captain Lovell’ and ‘Miss Coventry’.

1915 E. Fenwick Diary 31 July (1981) 61 We had to go and do the polite in the Doctor's house.

1935 G. Greene Eng. made Me iv. 205 They are leaving at the end of the week. I've got to do the polite.

1954 A. Thirkell What did it Mean? 253 I suppose I must go and do the polite with the Palace.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	polite
释义	politeadj.n. Brit. /pəˈlʌɪt/, U.S. /pəˈlaɪt/ Forms: Middle English polit, Middle English pollyte, Middle English polyt, 1500s–1600s polyte, 1500s– polite; Scottish pre-1700 poleit, pre-1700 polit, pre-1700 polyt, pre-1700 polyte, pre-1700 1700s– polite; also Irish English (northern) 1900s– plite. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin polītus. Etymology: < classical Latin polītus, past participle of polīre to smooth, to polish (see polish v.), also as adjective in figurative senses (of people, their manners, or their appearance, or of writings or activities) polished, elegant, accomplished, refined, cultivated, courteous. Compare Old French, Middle French, French poli smooth, shiny (c1160), (of words) careful, well-chosen (late 12th cent.), (of words) cultured (1580), (of a people or country) civilized (1681), (of a person) courteous, well-mannered (1694), Old Occitan polit (of a word in a poem) well-chosen (c1160), smooth, shiny (13th cent.), Catalan polit (14th cent.), Spanish pulido polished (literally and figuratively), refined (late 13th cent.), Italian polito smooth, shiny, (of writing or speech) well-chosen, polished, refined (a1327).Attested earlier as a surname: Robertus Polyte (1263), William Polyt (1313). N.E.D. (1907) gives the pronunciation as (poləi·t) /pə(ʊ)ˈlaɪt/. A. adj. †1. a. Smoothed, polished, burnished. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > flatness or levelness > smoothness > [adjective] > smooth and polished or glossy slighta1300 politea1398 well-burnishedc1400 well-polished1485 snod?a1500 sleeked1513 sneith1513 snog1513 sleek1589 enamelled1600 polished1649 slid1719 waxen1722 glazy1724 smolt1837 patent leather1904 smarmy1909 ciré1921 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > materials having undergone process > [adjective] > smoothed or polished polisheda1382 politea1398 burnishedc1400 rubbed?c1425 levigated1578 expolite1592 smoothened1818 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 197^v Berill is..yliche in grene colour to Smaragde but it is wiþ palenesse and polit. c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 1499 (MED) The Arche withinne & without was hiled with golde polyt. 1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) x. l. 388 Throu polyt platis with poyntis persyt thair. 1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour iii. xxii. sig. giii^v The brightnes of the science appereth polite and clere. 1669 W. Simpson Hydrologia Chymica 74 Many periapta become effectual by being such polite bodies. 1676 J. Evelyn Philos. Disc. Earth 35 Potters-Earth..became like Sand..exceeding polite and smooth. 1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. v. 731 Polite Bodies, as Looking-Glasses. a1727 I. Newton Opticks (1730) iii. i. 329 It cleaves with a glossy polite Surface. 1737 W. Whiston tr. Josephus Antiq. Jews xv. ix, in tr. Josephus Genuine Wks. 498 Edifices..made of the politest stone. 1772 B. Martin Typographia Naturalis 6 There is a secret Quality in some Leaves of a close and solid texture, and even a fine polite surface, which will cause the Glue to adhere. b. Clean; neat, orderly. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > [adjective] > clean and tidy smug1598 polite1602 tidy1706 tosh1776 tidy-looking1825 speck and span1840 spick and span1846 toshy1856 spick1882 the world > relative properties > order > [adjective] > tidy queemc1450 trig1513 trimc1521 neat1594 polite1602 terse1602 unlittered1612 ship-shape1644 snod1717 tight1720 redd1753 (as) neat (also clean) as a (new) pin1769 mack1825 tidy1828 slick1833 ship-shapely1843 trimly1858 taut1870 1602 B. Jonson Poetaster iii. i. sig. D3 I am enamord of this streete now..tis so polite, and terse. View more context for this quotation 1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 427 At Suitz..the people..keep their houses neat and cleanly, and withal very polite and in good repair. a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 76 To preserve these Chambers of the dead polite and clean. 2. a. Of language, the arts, or other intellectual pursuits: refined, elegant, scholarly; exhibiting good or restrained taste. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > refinement > [adjective] polisheda1382 dainteousc1386 polite?a1500 delicatea1533 courtly1535 civil1551 court-like1552 well-refined1575 nice1588 perpolite1592 politic1596 soft1599 terse1628 refine1646 refined1650 elegant1652 genteel1678 chastea1797 spirituala1806 aesthetic1844 nicey1859 raffiné1865 nuttish1869 too-tooa1884 sophisticated1895 lavender1928 society > leisure > the arts > the arts in general > [adjective] > qualities of works generally wateryc1230 polite?a1500 meagre1539 over-laboured1579 bald1589 spiritless1592 light1597 meretricious1633 standing1661 effectual1662 airy1664 severe1665 correct1676 enervatea1704 free1728 classic1743 academic1752 academical1752 chaste1753 nerveless1763 epic1769 crude1786 effective1790 creative1791 soulless1794 mannered1796 manneristical1830 manneristic1837 subjective1840 inartisticala1849 abstract1857 inartistic1859 literary1900 period1905 atmospheric1908 dateless1908 atmosphered1920 non-naturalistic1925 self-indulgent1926 free-styled1933 soft-centred1935 freestyle1938 pseudish1938 decadent1942 post-human1944 kitschy1946 faux-naïf1958 spare1965 society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > elegance > [adjective] > refined or cultured polite?a1500 fileda1533 facetious1542 exquisited1581 refined1582 smooth1589 perpolite1592 terse1628 washed1628 refine1646 parliamentary1789 literary1793 urbane1800 a1500 R. Henryson in tr. Æsop Fables Prol. l. 3 in Poems (1981) 3 Polite termes of sweit rethore Richt plesand ar vnto the eir of man. 1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. v. sig. Cij^v That they speke none englisshe but that, whiche is cleane, polite, perfectly, and articulately pronounced. ?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) 836 in Shorter Poems (2003) 58 Ȝone is..the court rethoricall, Of polit termys. 1612 J. Selden in M. Drayton Poly-olbion vi. Illustr. 98 That polite Poem (in whose composition Apollo seemes to haue giuen personall aide). 1656 Vindic. Jud. in Phenix (1708) No. 24. 392 Your Worship cannot expect either prolix or polite discourses upon so sad a subject; for who can be ambitious in his own calamity? 1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) Pref. p. xlix All the Lovers of Polite Learning..give me thanks. 1726 C. D'Anvers Craftsman (1727) i. 4 My natural inclination to the politer arts. 1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator II. xii. 360 Dancing, Musick, or any of the politer accomplishments, were his Aversion. 1786 J. Bonnycastle Introd. Astron. 12 One of the most useful branches of a polite..education. 1816 L. Murray Eng. Gram. Illustr. (ed. 3) I. ii. vi. 174 Every polite tongue has its own rules. 1891 Speaker 2 May 532/1 In it metaphysics have again condescended to speak the language of polite letters. 1952 A. Wilson Hemlock & After i. v. 98 He seemed to regard any literary enterprise as a sort of polite fiction for a brothel. 1977 V. S. Pritchett Gentle Barbarian i. 3 Ivan [Turgenev]'s mother, Varvara Petrovna, noted in French, the polite language of her class, that the new baby was twenty-one inches long. 2003 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 24 Aug. 16 He [sc. Smollett] spent the next quarter century scratching out a subsistence living on the margins of polite literature, ruining his health along the way. b. Of a person, social group, etc.: refined; cultured, cultivated; (also) well-regulated. Now chiefly in polite society, circles, etc. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > refinement > [adjective] > specifically of persons refined1598 polite1601 inlanda1616 researched1636 spirituel1673 elegant1691 kid-gloved1848 kid glove1856 fine-drawn1876 rose water1883 sophisticated1895 subtle1904 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > branch of knowledge > humanistic studies > [adjective] > cultured polite1601 improved1617 cultivated1645 well-cultured1760 cultured1777 high-minded1827 highbrow1908 kulturny1955 1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love iv. iii. sig. G4 How he do's all to be qualifie her!..as if there were not others in place, as..Polite, as she. View more context for this quotation 1629 J. Wadsworth Eng. Spanish Pilgrime viii. 91 One of the politest wits in the Kingdome for the Law. a1664 K. Philips To Abp. of Canterbury in Poems (1667) 166 Majestick sweetness, temper'd and refin'd, In a Polite, and comprehensive Mind. 1691 J. Hartcliffe Treat. Virtues 7 The more polite..sort of Men place their Felicity in Honours. 1704 J. Swift Tale of Tub v. 120 It is become the Fashion and Humor most applauded among the first Authors of this Polite and Learned Age. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 39. ¶2 In all the polite Nations of the World, this part of the Drama has met with Publick Encouragement. 1755 Connoisseur (1756) No. 84. 506 This roughness, which clings to the seaman's behaviour like tar to his trowsers, makes him unfit for all civil and polite society. 1772 W. Jones Poems 197 A very polite scholar, who has lately translated sixteen Odes of Hafez. 1803 in A. Candler Poet. Attempts 16 Several of her Poems having been read and approved, in polite and literary circles. 1827 W. Scott Surgeon's Daughter in Chron. Canongate 1st Ser. II. ii. 33 He..was unwilling to subject himself to that which was exacted in polite society. 1891 G. B. Shaw Quintessence of Ibsenism iv. 102 Rebecca, then a mere adventuress fighting for a foothold in polite society. 1894 C. H. H. Parry Stud. Great Composers: Beethoven 166 His behaviour was not of the kind affected by polite Viennese. 1902 W. James Varieties Relig. Experience viii. 186 The cupidities, complications, and cruelties of our polite civilization are profoundly unsatisfying. 1938 P. Kavanagh Green Fool xvi. 159 She talked like one who had lived a while in society houses, & this was true. She was far too polite for a rank kitchen. 1940 John o' London's Weekly 3 May 149/3 Edinburgh being very ‘refained’, the word [sc. keelie] is seldom used in the more polite society. 2004 Daily Tel. (Sydney) (Nexis) 20 Sept. 5 No one he was berating knew what he was on about. In polite circles, this is called being ‘unpredictable’. c. Courteous, behaving in a manner that is respectful or considerate of others; well-mannered. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > [adjective] metheOE hendc1225 debonairc1230 hendya1250 courteousc1275 hendlyc1275 bonairc1300 quaintc1300 sweetc1330 graciousa1375 meetha1400 debonary1402 debonariousc1485 humanec1500 civil1565 genty1660 discreet1739 polite1751 politeful1832 the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > [adjective] > well-mannered > polished or refined well-polished1485 civil?1538 politic1596 cult1598 refined1598 inlanda1616 facete1616 urbane1623 terse1628 gentilitat1632 polite1751 politeful1832 1751 E. Justice Amelia 193 I am much concern'd that the Gentleman should make you pay Ten Shillings for that trifling Present I sent you, but that Family is not capable of a polite Action. 1772 H. Mackenzie Man of World (1823) ii. xx. 492 The French are the politest enemies in the world. 1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xix. 151 Narses..was endowed with the most polite and amiable manners. 1807 G. Crabbe Parish Reg. iii, in Poems 128 To them, to all, he was polite and free. 1831 J. Sinclair Corr. II. 426 He sent me the following polite acknowledgment of his having received the work. 1883 Manch. Guard. 22 Oct. 5/5 Lord Dufferin obtains..polite promises, but is not in a position to get anything more. 1904 Collier's 7 May 9/2 The raw fish was a novelty which even the bravest military attaché and the politest correspondent dared not attempt. 1946 A. Christie Hollow xix. 168 ‘Really?’ There was polite disbelief in the inspector's tone. 1990 M. Wesley Sensible Life (BNC) 175 I must do the polite thing..and write to Flora's mother. B. n. 1. With plural agreement. With the. Refined or cultured people as a class. Cf. A. 2b. ΚΠ 1711 E. Ward Life Don Quixote v. xxii. 422 His Feats of Arms, Amours, and Worth, Are well and artfully set forth, As the Polite and Learn'd may see In the same ancient History. 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones V. xiii. i. 6 Lastly, come Experience long conversant with the Wise, the Good, the Learned, and the Polite . View more context for this quotation 1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. xv. 484 When Christianity was introduced among the rich and the polite. 1802 J. Walker Crit. Pronouncing Dict. (ed. 3) at Mischievous In language, as in many other cases, it is safer to be wrong with the polite than right with the vulgar. 1840 T. B. Macaulay Ranke's Hist. in Ess. (1851) II. 142 Whatever the polite and learned may think. a1894 R. L. Stevenson In South Seas (1896) i. xiii. 128 Such being the attitude of the intelligent and the polite. 1933 Times 13 Jan. 13/4 It is to be feared that Horace has lost ground, though within living memory he was constantly quoted in senates and was a passport among the polite throughout Europe. 1998 Australian (Nexis) 21 Nov. r12 He marries exquisite Eve Frame.., becoming a powerful misfit among the polite, and viperish. 2. colloquial. to do the polite (with thing understood): to perform a courteous action, to behave politely. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > be courteous [verb (intransitive)] to do the polite1826 to do the civil1838 1826 J. S. in P. G. Patmore Rejected Articles 157 I hate and detest his awkward attempts at what Ned calls ‘doing the polite’. 1856 G. J. Whyte-Melville Kate Coventry iii John ‘doing the polite’, and laughing as he..introduced ‘Captain Lovell’ and ‘Miss Coventry’. 1915 E. Fenwick Diary 31 July (1981) 61 We had to go and do the polite in the Doctor's house. 1935 G. Greene Eng. made Me iv. 205 They are leaving at the end of the week. I've got to do the polite. 1954 A. Thirkell What did it Mean? 253 I suppose I must go and do the polite with the Palace. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022). † politev. Forms: see polite adj. Origin: Either (i) formed within English, by conversion. Or (ii) a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: polite adj.; Latin polīt-, polīre. Etymology: Either < polite adj., or < classical Latin polīt-, past participial stem of polīre to polish (see polish v.). Compare also polish v. Obsolete. transitive. To polish or refine; to clear up. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [verb (transitive)] > purify or refine slick1340 filec1400 polishc1400 burnish1526 polite1535 extirpate1548 purify1548 soften1579 purgea1582 refine1592 mellow1593 civilize1596 rarefy1600 incivilize1603 sublimate1624 alembicate1627 chastise1627 sublime1631 calcine1635 gentilize1635 ennoble1636 subtilize1638 deconcoct1655 sublimizea1729 smooth1762 absterge1817 decrassify1855 sandpaper1890 1535 Bp. S. Gardiner Let. 26 Sept. (1933) 68 I had entended to have polyted and cleansed it. 1564 T. Becon New Catech. in Catech. & Other Pieces (1844) 350 The tongue may not so be filed that the mind be defiled, nor the speech so polited that the heart be polluted. a1676 M. Hale De Successionibus (1699) 50 There was some incertainty in the business of Descents, or Hereditary Successions, though it was much better polited than formerly. 1691 J. Dunton tr. Abbot de Choissy in Young Student's Lib. 420/2 He hath extended our Frontiers; he hath Raised us, Polited, and if I may say it, Amplified our Wit by the Establishment of the Academy. 1701 J. Ray Wisdom of God (ed. 3) i. 108 Exercises..which polite Mens Spirits. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2020). < adj.n.a1398v.1535
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politeadj.n.

† politev.