beauty

A2 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˈbjuti/ UK /ˈbjuːti/ See IPA manual

Freq #1341

Meanings

1

noun
The quality of being very pleasing to look at or experience.

We were amazed by the beauty of the mountains.
2

noun
A very beautiful person, usually a woman.

She was a famous beauty in her younger days.
3

noun
An excellent or impressive example of something.

What a goal! That was a real beauty!
4

noun
The best or most pleasing feature of something.

The beauty of the plan is that it costs nothing.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a very beautiful person,... belle

More attractiveness beautifulness comeliness gem gorgeousness inspiration jewel looker loveliness prettinesspulchritude

Opposites

homeliness repulsiveness ugliness

Word family

Forms beauties

Derived forms antibeautybeaut beauteous beauticianbeautifiablebeautification beautifier beautiful beautifully beautifulness beautifybeautihood

Related forms beautiful usefulness

Appears in

Phrases (11)

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great beauty
an exceptional or striking degree of beauty

Adjective + noun
natural beauty
beauty found in nature or achieved without artificial enhancement

Adjective + noun
admire beauty
to look at and appreciate something beautiful with pleasure

Verb + noun
appreciate beauty
to recognise and value the beauty of something

Verb + noun
capture beauty
to record or represent the beauty of something in art or photography

Verb + noun
sheer beauty
pure, absolute beauty — used to emphasise how striking something is

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (9)

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Simplified etymology

Beauty entered English in the Middle English period and ultimately derives from Latin bellus, “beautiful.” Beau and belle descend from the same Latin source.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂-der.? Proto-Italic *dwenos Old Latin duenos Old Latin duonusder. Old Latin *duenelos Vulgar Latin bellus Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Vulgar Latin -tās Vulgar Latin *bellitātem Anglo-Norman biautébor. Middle English beaute English beauty From Middle English bewty, bewte, beaute, bealte, from Anglo-Norman and Old French beauté (early Old French spelling biauté), from Vulgar Latin *bellitātem (“beauty”), from Latin bellus (“beautiful, fair”); see beau. In this sense, mostly displaced…

bewty Middle English beauté Old French *bellitātem la-vul bellus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# beauty

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈbjuti/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbjuːti/
**Frequency rank:** 1341

## Meanings
1. The quality of being very pleasing to look at or experience.
2. A very beautiful person, usually a woman.
3. An excellent or impressive example of something.
4. The best or most pleasing feature of something.

## Examples
- We were amazed by the beauty of the mountains.
- She was a famous beauty in her younger days.
- What a goal! That was a real beauty!
- The beauty of the plan is that it costs nothing.

## Synonyms
- attractiveness
- beautifulness
- comeliness
- gem
- gorgeousness
- inspiration
- jewel
- looker
- loveliness
- prettiness
- pulchritude

## Antonyms
- homeliness
- repulsiveness
- ugliness

## Derived Forms
- antibeauty
- beaut
- beauteous
- beautician
- beautifiable
- beautification
- beautifier
- beautiful
- beautifully
- beautifulness
- beautify
- beautihood

## Related Forms
- beautiful
- usefulness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bewty
- Root: beauté
- Root: *bellitātem
- Root: bellus

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂-der.? Proto-Italic *dwenos Old Latin duenos Old Latin duonusder. Old Latin *duenelos Vulgar Latin bellus Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Vulgar Latin -tās Vulgar Latin *bellitātem Anglo-Norman biautébor. Middle English beaute English beauty From Middle English bewty, bewte, beaute, bealte, from Anglo-Norman and Old French beauté (early Old French spelling biauté), from Vulgar Latin *bellitātem (“beauty”), from Latin bellus (“beautiful, fair”); see beau. In this sense, mostly displaced…

## AI Etymology
Beauty comes from Middle English bewty, bewte, beaute, bealte, from Anglo-Norman and Old French beauté (early Old French spelling biauté), from Vulgar Latin *bellitātem (“beauty”), from Latin bellus (“beautiful, fair”); see beau. Beauty's historical chain begins with Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- and Proto-Italic *dwenos and later passes through Vulgar Latin -tās, Vulgar Latin *bellitātem, Anglo-Norman biauté, Middle English beaute, English beauty.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

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