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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

beautiful

/ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/
Possessing beauty, impressing the eye; attractive.

    Etymology graph

    • inherited
    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
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    Origin

    From Middle English bewteful, beautefull (“attractive to the eye, beautiful”), equivalent to beauty + -ful. In this sense, largely displaced Old English fæġer (whence fair).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishbewteful
      • partMiddle Englishbeaute
        • borrowedAnglo-Normanbiauté
          • inheritedVulgar Latin*bellitātem
            • partLatinbellus “pretty”
              • derivedOld Latin*duenelos
                • derivedOld Latinduenos “good”
                  • inheritedProto-Italic*dwenos “good”
                    • derivedProto-Indo-European*dewh₂- “to tie to, secure”
            • partLatin-tās “-ity”
              • inheritedProto-Italic*-tāts
                • inheritedProto-Indo-European*-teh₂ts
      • partMiddle English-ful “full of (a feeling)”
        • inheritedOld English-ful
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*-fullaz
            • derivedProto-Germanic*fullaz “full”
              • inheritedProto-Indo-European*pl̥h₁nós “full”
                • partProto-Indo-European*pleh₁- “to fill”
                • partProto-Indo-European*-nós
    • surface analysisEnglishbeauty “The quality of being (especially visually) attractive, pleasing, fine or good-looking; comeliness.”
    • surface analysisEnglish-ful “Used to form adjectives from nouns, with the sense of being full of, tending to, or thoroughly poss…”

    Meanings

    adj
    1. Possessing beauty, impressing the eye; attractive.
    2. Used emphatically or ironically, after the noun it qualifies.
    3. That one likes very much.
    4. Affording pleasure to any of the senses, especially that of hearing; delightful.
    5. Impressing with charm in an intellectual or moral way, through inherent suitability or elegance.
    noun
    1. Someone who is beautiful. Can be used as a term of address.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: beautiful