quaint B2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /kweɪnt/ UK /kweɪnt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj attractively unusual or old-fashioned The quaint cottage was a charming sight in the village. 2 adj strange or unusual in an interesting or amusing way His quaint sense of humor always made her smile. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · attractively unusual or... picturesquewhimsicalold-worldvintage 2 adj · strange or unusual in an... quirkyeccentricpeculiarcuriousoffbeat ↔ Opposites modernordinarycommonplace Word family Forms quaintlyquaintness Etymology AI details From Old French coint ('clever, agreeable'), via Middle English queinte ('elegant, clever'), giving Modern English quaint ('charmingly unusual or old-fashioned'). Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # quaint **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /kweɪnt/ **IPA (UK):** /kweɪnt/ ## Meanings 1. attractively unusual or old-fashioned 2. strange or unusual in an interesting or amusing way ## Examples - The quaint cottage was a charming sight in the village. - His quaint sense of humor always made her smile. ## Synonyms - picturesque - whimsical - old-world - vintage - quirky - eccentric - peculiar - curious - offbeat ## Antonyms - modern - ordinary - commonplace ## Etymology From Old French coint ('clever, agreeable'), via Middle English queinte ('elegant, clever'), giving Modern English quaint ('charmingly unusual or old-fashioned'). ## AI Etymology Quaint comes from Old French coint ('clever, agreeable'), via Middle English queinte ('elegant, clever'), giving Modern English quaint ('charmingly unusual or old-fashioned'). In current use it is an adjective meaning "attractively unusual or old-fashioned". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown