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quaint

[ kweynt ]
/ kweÉȘnt /
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adjective, quaint·er, quaint·est.
having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm; oddly picturesque: a quaint old house.
strange, peculiar, or unusual in an interesting, pleasing, or amusing way: a quaint sense of humor.
skillfully or cleverly made.
Obsolete. wise; skilled.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as


Origin of quaint

1175–1225; Middle English queinte<Old French, variant of cointe clever, pleasing â‰Ș Latin cognitus known (past participle of cognƍscere;see cognition)

OTHER WORDS FROM quaint

quaintly, adverbquaintness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quaint in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quaint

quaint
/ (kweÉȘnt) /

adjective
attractively unusual, esp in an old-fashioned stylea quaint village
odd, peculiar, or inappropriatea quaint sense of duty

Derived forms of quaint

quaintly, adverbquaintness, noun

Word Origin for quaint

C13 (in the sense: clever): from Old French cointe, from Latin cognitus known, from cognoscere to ascertain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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