personable
Appearance
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- personible (obsolete)
- parsonable (obsolete)
Etymology
[edit]From Middle English personable, personabil, equivalent to person + -able. Compare Medieval Latin personabilis (“personal”), found in a late 13th century British source. The Middle French personable (“remarkable, important”) does not appear until 1528.
Pronunciation
[edit]Adjective
[edit]personable (comparative more personable, superlative most personable)
- (of a person) Having a pleasing appearance; attractive; handsome.
- 1822, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 19, in The Fortunes of Nigel:
- I admit him a personable man, for I have seen him; and I will suppose him courteous and agreeable.
- 1908, E. M. Forster, chapter 12, in A Room With a View:
- Barefoot, bare-chested, radiant and personable against the shadowy woods, he called: "Hullo, Miss Honeychurch! Hullo!"
- (of a person) Having a pleasant manner; friendly; amiable.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 5:
- Wise, warlike, personable, curteous, and kind.
- 1919, Joseph A. Altsheler, chapter 5, in The Sun Of Quebec:
- I'm bound to admit that you're a personable young rascal, with the best manners I've met in a long time.
- 2009 October 5, Randy James, “2-Min. Bio: Stephanie Birkitt: Letterman's Lover?”, in Time:
- Aside from being incredibly funny and personable he is generous, kind and is great fun to play catch with.
- (law, obsolete) Enabled to maintain pleas in court.
- 15th century, Petitions of the Commons[1]
- The Queen be by that name personable to plead
- 1607, John Cowell), The Interpreter:
- The demaundant was iudged personable to maintaine this action
- 15th century, Petitions of the Commons[1]
Synonyms
[edit]- (having a pleasing appearance or manner): affable
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]having pleasing appearance or manner
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Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms suffixed with -able
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with quotations
- en:Law
- English terms with obsolete senses
- en:Personality