civility

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin civilitas: compare French civilité. See civil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɪ.ˈvɪ.lɪ.ti/

Noun

civility (countable and uncountable, plural civilities)

1. Speech or behaviour that is fit for civil interactions; politeness, courtesy. [from 16th c.]
   • Chesterfield

     The insolent civility of a proud man is, if possible, more shocking than his rudeness could be.

2. (chiefly in the plural) An individual act or expression of polite behaviour; a courtesy. [from 17th c.]
   • 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, I.3:

     Mr Lovelace received from every one those civilities which were due to his birth […].

3. (now archaic) The state or fact of being civilized; civilization. [from 16th c.]
   • Sir J. Davies

     Monarchies have risen from barbarism to civility, and fallen again to ruin.

4. (obsolete) A civil office; a civil capacity. [16th c.]
   • Latimer

     To serve in a civility.

Translations

politeness; behavior which conforms to social conventions

• Bulgarian: вежливост (bg) f (vežlivost), учтивост (bg) f (učtivost)
• Catalan: civisme (ca) m, civilitat (ca) f
• Finnish: kohteliaisuus (fi)
• French: politesse (fr) f
• German: Anstand (de) m, Höflichkeit (de) f, Verbindlichkeit (de) f
• Irish: sibhialtacht f
• Italian: civiltà (it) f
• Manx: ard-veenid f
• Persian: نزاکت (fa) (nezâkat)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: civilidade (pt) f
• Romanian: civilitate f, politețe (ro) f, curtenie (ro) f
• Russian: ве́жливость (ru) f (véžlivostʹ), учти́вость (ru) f (učtívostʹ), любе́зность (ru) f (ljubéznostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: modh m or f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: култу́ра f, културност f

  Roman: kultúra (sh) f, kulturnost f

• Spanish: civismo (es) m, civilidad f
• Turkish: edep (tr), incelik (tr), kibarlık (tr), nezaket (tr)