quaint
[ kweynt ]
/ kweɪnt /
||
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.
Nearby words
quaich, quail, quail clock, quail dove, quail-brush, quaint, quaintly, quair, quake, quake in one's boots, quakeproof
Origin of quaint
1175–1225; Middle English queinte < Old French, variant of cointe clever, pleasing ≪ Latin cognitus known (past participle of cognōscere; see cognition)
SYNONYMS FOR quaint
ANTONYMS FOR quaint
2 ordinary.
Related formsquaint·ly, adverbquaint·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for quaintly
British Dictionary definitions for quaintly
quaint
/ (kweɪnt) /
adjective
attractively unusual, esp in an old-fashioned stylea quaint village
odd, peculiar, or inappropriatea quaint sense of duty
Derived Formsquaintly, 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
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Word Origin and History for quaintly
quaint
c.1200, cointe, "cunning, ingenious; proud," from Old French cointe "knowledgeable, well-informed; clever; arrogant, proud; elegant, gracious," from Latin cognitus "known, approved," past participle of cognoscere "get or come to know well" (see cognizance). Modern spelling is from early 14c.
Later in English, "elaborate, skillfully made" (c.1300); "strange and clever" (mid-14c.). Sense of "old-fashioned but charming" is first attested 1795, and could describe the word itself, which had become rare after c.1700 (though it soon recovered popularity in this secondary sense). Related: Quaintly; quaintness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper