Etiquette

How to spell etiquette

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce etiquette

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does etiquette mean?

1. nounThe customary code of polite behaviour in a society or among members of a particular profession or group.

Etiquette in a sentence

• Proper dining etiquette requires placing the napkin on your lap.

• The new employee studied office etiquette before her first big meeting.

Where does etiquette come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes straight from the French étiquette, which originally meant a little note, a label, or a ticket. That noun was built on the Old French verb estiquier, meaning 'to attach' or 'to stick', so an étiquette was literally something stuck up or pinned on, a posted notice. At the royal court of France the étiquette was the small card that set out the rules of correct ceremonial behaviour, telling guests where to stand and how to conduct themselves, and from that posted list of rules the word came to mean the code of polite conduct itself. English borrowed it in the early 1700s, keeping the full French spelling, which is exactly why it carries that tricky double 't' and the silent French ending '-quette'. Its humble cousin is the everyday English word 'ticket', which descends from the very same root, a reminder that polite manners began as a slip of paper.

How the word is built

• From French étiquette; root estiquier (to attach, stick)
• -ette (diminutive/noun suffix)