couth

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• /ˈkuːθ/
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• [ˈkhʊu̯θ]
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• rhymes with -uːθ
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From Middle English couth (“familiar, known; evident, true; famous, respected, well-known; genteel, having good manners”), from Old English cūþ (“familiar, intimate, known, usual; certain, plain, manifest; famous, noted, well-known; excellent; friendly; related”), past participle of cunnan (“to be familiar with, know; can, to be able, know how”), from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną (“to be familiar with, know, recognize; to be able, know how”) (compare *kunþaz (“known”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh3- (“to know”). The word is cognate with Dutch kond (“known”), Saterland Frisian cut (“known”), Gothic 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌸𐍃 (kunþs, “known”), Icelandic kuður, kunnur (“known”), Latin gnosco (“to know”), Old High German kund, chund, chunt, Middle High German kunt (modern German kund (“known”)), Old Saxon kūth, cûth, cuð (“known; famous, renowned”), Scots couth (“familiar, known”); and is a doublet of could.

Back-formation from uncouth.

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: hienostunut — marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication — see also cultured, refined
• French: raffiné — marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication — see also cultured, refined
• French: sophistiqué — marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication — see also cultured, refined
• Italian: lepido — marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication — see also cultured, refined
• Serbo-Croatian: ȍtm(j)en — marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication — see also cultured, refined
• Serbo-Croatian: uglađen — marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication — see also cultured, refined
• Spanish: sofisticado, refinado — marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication — see also cultured, refined
• Czech: uhlazenost — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication
• Finnish: hienostuneisuus — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication
• French: raffinement — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication
• French: sophistication — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication
• German: gute Umgangsformen — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication
• German: Manieren — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication
• Italian: lepòre — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication
• Serbo-Croatian: otm(j)enost — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication
• Serbo-Croatian: uglađenost — social grace, refinement, sophistication — see also refinement, sophistication