Agency Dictionary
Decorum
nounPronunciation: /dɪˈkɔː.rəm/
In Portuguese: Decoro
Philosophy & Ethics
Culture & IdentityWhat does “Decorum” mean?
Behavior in keeping with good taste, propriety, and established standards of dignity.
Etymology
A learned borrowing, in the 16th century, of Latin decorum, "that which is fitting", the neuter of the adjective decorus, "proper, becoming", from decor, "grace, seemliness", and decere, "to be fitting". In Roman rhetoric and poetics decorum was the rule that style should suit the subject, the speaker and the occasion, and English first used the word in that sense before extending it to behaviour. Decent and decorate belong to the same Latin family.
Usage note
A formal word, common in accounts of courts, parliaments and ceremonies. The adjective decorous is stressed on the first syllable.
Synonyms
- propriety
- decency
- dignity
- etiquette
- seemliness
- good form
Often confused with
- decor
- Decor is the style in which a room is furnished and decorated; decorum is fitting behaviour. They share a Latin root but not a meaning.
Word family
- decorous
- decorously
- indecorous
- decent
- decorate
Rhymes with
- forum
- quorum
Usage examples
I’m starting to lose my Greymane decorum here.
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- Antithesisnoun
- A person, thing, or concept that represents the direct or exact opposite of another.
- Discursiveadjective
- Proceeding by reasoned argument or sequential exposition rather than by immediate visual intuition.
- shogunatenoun
- A feudal military dictatorship in Japan, headed by a shogun, in which loyalty and honour were central to its operation. The system was exclusive to Japan and did not exist in other Asian nations.
- Treatisenoun
- A formal, systematic, and comprehensive written work dealing methodically with the principles and evidence of a particular philosophical, scientific, or technical subject.
- Maximnoun
- A concise statement expressing a fundamental principle, general truth, or practical rule of conduct.
- Monoclenoun
- A single eyeglass lens designed to correct or enhance vision in one eye, held in place by the facial muscles around the eye socket.
- rhetoricnoun
- The art of effective and persuasive speaking or writing, especially through strategic linguistic devices.
- Tangibleadjective
- Perceptible by the sense of touch or capable of being physically grasped and measured in concrete physical reality. It distinguishes concrete material products from virtual or intellectual entities.
- Holisticadjective
- Characterized by the comprehension of parts as intimately interconnected and explicable only in reference to the whole.
- samurainoun
- A member of the warrior class of feudal Japan, bound by codes of loyalty and honour, who served under the shogunate system. In the article, the samurai class is one of the two groups with access to Noh theatre.
- Abyssnoun
- A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm, either in physical geography or metaphorical psychological depth. It evokes feelings of unfathomable emptiness or existential peril.
- aestheticsnoun
- A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.
Also from these editions: terms
- Alchemistnoun
- A practitioner of alchemy, seeking to transmute base metals into noble elements and discover a universal cure.
- Ambiguitynoun
- The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness or uncertainty of meaning.
- Bombasticadjective
- High-sounding, pompous, or inflated in speech or style with little genuine substance or humility.
- Demagoguenoun
- A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than rational argument.
- Elixirnoun
- A magical or medicinal potion believed capable of curing illnesses or conferring exceptional vitality.
- Epiphanynoun
- A moment of sudden and profound intuitive comprehension, clarity, or essential insight.
- Placebonoun
- A medically ineffectual treatment or substance designed to deceive the recipient, often used as a control in scientific trials.
- Poisonnoun
- A substance that causes death or severe physical harm when introduced into or absorbed by a living organism.
- Potionnoun
- A liquid concoction endowed with purported medicinal, magical, toxic, or transformative powers.
- Remedynoun
- A medicine, treatment, or therapy that cures a disease, relieves physical suffering, or rectifies a systemic flaw.
- Technocratnoun
- An exponent of technocracy, or an expert whose authority derives from technical or managerial proficiency rather than democratic mandate.
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