Deluxe

How to spell deluxe

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce deluxe

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does deluxe mean?

1. adjectiveOf a superior, more luxurious, or more expensive kind than the standard version.

Deluxe in a sentence

• The hotel upgraded us to a deluxe suite overlooking the harbour.

• The deluxe edition of the book includes extra photographs and a slipcase.

Where does deluxe come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes straight from the French phrase 'de luxe', which literally means 'of luxury'. The 'luxe' part traces back to the Latin noun luxus, meaning 'excess', 'extravagance', or 'self-indulgence', the same root that gives English 'luxury' and 'luxurious'. French marketing of fine goods carried the phrase into English in the nineteenth century, where it described a superior, more expensive version of something. Over time the two words were squashed into a single closed form, deluxe, and the spelling trap follows from that history: there is only one L, and the ending keeps the French -uxe rather than anything resembling 'lucks'. Knowing that it began as 'de luxe', 'of luxury', is the easiest way to remember why it ends the way it does.

How the word is built

• de- (French 'of', from Latin de)
• luxe (luxury, from Latin luxus 'excess, indulgence')