beau
UK /ˈbəʊ̯/ · US /ˈboʊ̯/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms beaux beaus beauing beaued
- noun (dated) A man with a reputation for fine dress and etiquette; a dandy or fop.
- noun (dated, US, Canada) A male lover; a boyfriend.
- noun A male escort.
- noun A suitor of a lady.
- verb (ambitransitive) To act as a beau (towards); to court or woo.
- proper noun A male given name used since mid-twentieth century.
Synonyms
blood popinjay barbermonger blade buck carpet knight cockscomb dandy dike dood dude dudelet exquisite fashionable fast man fine gentleman fop foretop fribble gallant boyfriend fellow swain young man sheik swell fashion plate clotheshorse
Etymology
From Middle English beau, beu, bew, bewe, from Old French beau, from Latin bellus (“beautiful”). Doublet of bello and boo.
Shortened from surname type given names such as Beauregard or Beaumont, or from the French word beau.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A man who takes great care to dress in the latest fashion; a dandy.
- noun A man who escorts, or pays attentions to, a lady; an escort; a lover.
Etymology [F., a fop, fr. beau fine, beautiful, fr. L. bellus pretty, fine, for bonulus, dim. of bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Belle, Beauty.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “beau”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details