beau

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Translations 1.4 See also 1.5 References 2 French 2.1 Etymology 2.2 Pronunciation 2.3 Adjective 2.3.1 Usage notes 2.3.2 Related terms 3 Romanian 3.1 Pronunciation 3.2 Verb

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

French beau, Latin bellus "beautiful".

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /bəʊ/, /bo/
•  Audio (UK)^{help, file}
• Homophones: bow

[edit] Noun

beau (plural beaux or beaus)

1. (dated) A man with a reputation for fine dress and etiquette; a dandy.
   • 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, chapter 21

     “I do not comprehend the meaning of the word. But this I can say, that if he ever was a beau before he married, he is one still, for there is not the smallest alteration in him.”

     “Oh! dear! one never thinks of married mens’^[sic] being beaux—they have something else to do.”

2. (dated) A male lover; a boyfriend.
3. A male escort.

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

• beau-
• beautiful
• Beau

[edit] References

• beau in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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[edit] French

[edit] Etymology

Latin bellus.

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /bo/, X-SAMPA: /bo/

   Audio (France, Paris)^{help, file}

• Rhymes: -o
• Homophones: beaux

[edit] Adjective

beau m. (f. belle, m. plural beaux, f. plural belles)

1. handsome, fine, attractive
2. nice.
3. fair (weather).

   Il fait beau.

   It is fair (weather)

[edit] Usage notes

Use the form 'bel' before a singular masculine noun that begins with a vowel.

[edit] Related terms

• bellâtre
• bellement

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[edit] Romanian

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: [bʲæw]

[edit] Verb

beau

1. first-person singular present tense form of bea.
2. first-person singular subjunctive form of bea.
3. third-person plural present tense form of bea.
4. third-person plural imperfect form of bea.