Wiktionary

urbane

English

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WOTD – 28 July 2023

Etymology

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A variant of urban +‎ -ane (a variant of -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives)).[1] Urban is borrowed from Middle French urbain (“belonging to a city, urban; courteous, refined, urbane”) (modern French urbain), or from its etymon Latin urbānus (“of or belonging to a city, urban; of manners or style: like those of city dwellers: cultivated, polished, refined, sophisticated”), from urbs (“city; walled town; Rome”) (further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- (“to encircle, enclose; a belt; an enclosure, fence”) or *werbʰ- (“to enclose”)) + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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urbane (comparative urbaner or more urbane, superlative urbanest or most urbane)

  1. Of a person (usually a man): having refined manners; courteous, polite, suave.
    Synonym: debonair
    Antonyms: rustic, unurbane
    • 1828, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter XV, in Pelham; or, The Adventures of a Gentleman. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 93–94:
      We took advantage of our acquaintance with the urbane Frenchman to join his party; the conversation turned almost entirely on literary subjects.
    • 1877 May, Henry James, Jr., chapter XXV, in The American, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, […], published 5 May 1877, →OCLC, pages 441–442:
      Newman, at this juncture, fell to admiring the duchess for her fine manners. He felt, most accurately, that she was not a grain less urbane than she would have been if his marriage were still in prospect; but he felt also that she was not a particle more urbane.
    • 1897 March, Maria Weed, “Disillusioned”, in The Midland Monthly, volume VII, number 3, Des Moines, Iowa: Johnson Brigham, →OCLC, chapter II (continued), page 245, column 2:
      However, there was nothing for it but to welcome her with all the heartiness I could summon. The sepulchral atmosphere of the parlor had chilled and dampened the spirits of this usually urbane woman, while disappointment and disgust were written in every line of that strong face.
    • 1976, National Geographic, volume 149, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 106:
      Our people must have some control over our destiny," reasons Wilma Muth, an urbane woman who serves as Inyo County supervisor.
    • 1992, Thomas DiPiero, “Mastery and Seduction in Eighteenth-century Fiction”, in Dangerous Truths and Criminal Passions: The Evolution of the French Novel, 1569–1791, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, →ISBN, part 2 (The Development of the Modern Novel), page 237:
      Mme de Chartres' advice to her daughter consisted only of prohibitions from which we might infer that the virtuous urbane woman was both inactive and invisible, obviously not a particularly suitable subject for the elaboration of engaging tales.
  2. Of an act, expression, etc.: suited to a person of refined manners; elegant, sophisticated.
    Antonym: unurbane
    • 1832, [Washington Irving], “Jusef Abul Hagias, the Finisher of the Alhambra”, in The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards. […], volume II, Philadelphia, Pa.: [Henry Charles] Carey & [Isaac] Lea, →OCLC, page 230:
      He [Yusuf I of Granada] had an excellent memory, well stored with science and erudition; he was of a lively genius, and accounted the best poet of his time, and his manners were gentle, affable, and urbane.
    • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Loomings”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 5:
      The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvellous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied man enter heaven. Ah! how cheerfully we consign ourselves to perdition!
    • 1859 November 26 – 1860 August 25, [William] Wilkie Collins, “The Narrative of Eliza Michelson, Housekeeper at Blackwater Park”, in The Woman in White. […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, […], published 1860, →OCLC, part I, page 151, column 2:
      "Good-morning, Sir," said his lordship, stepping forward in the most urbane manner, and stopping the doctor with a high-bred resolution impossible to resist, "I greatly fear you find no improvement in the symptoms to-day?"
    • 1871, Robert Browning, Balaustion’s Adventure: Including a Transcript from Euripides, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 112:
      To guests, a servant should not sour-faced by, / But do the honours with a mind urbane.
    • 2017 September 27, David Browne, “Hugh Hefner, ‘Playboy’ Founder, Dead at 91”, in Rolling Stone‎[1], New York, N.Y.: Penske Media Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-04:
      And with his trademark smoking jackets and pipes – and the silk pajamas he would often wear to work – [Hugh] Hefner became the embodiment of a sexually adventurous yet urbane image and lifestyle, a seeming role model for generations of men.
  3. Obsolete spelling of urban (“of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a city or town, or life in such a place; living in a city or town; having authority or jurisdiction over a city or town”).
    • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XVIII.] Of Iugerum, and Actus. Of the Ancient Lawes Ordained for Cattell in Old Time. How Often and at what Times Corn and Victuals were Exceeding Cheape at Rome. What Noble and Famous Persons Addicted Themselves Wholly to Husbandrie and Tillage..”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 1st tome, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, pages 550–551:
      Inſomuch, as thoſe citizens vvere reputed for cheeſe and principall, vvho vvere poſſeſſed of land and living in the countrey: and theſe made the State, called the Ruſtick Tribes, in Rome: vvheras contrarivviſe the other eſtate, reputed the meaner in degree, vvas named the Vrbane Tribes; conſiſting of Artiſanes & ſuch like as vvere not landed perſons: into vvhich, if a man vvere transferred from any of the reſt, it vvas thought a great ſhame and diſgrace, as if hee vvere reproched for idleneſſe and negligence in husbandrie.
    • 1607, Conradus Gesnerus [i.e., Conrad Gessner], Edward Topsell, “Of the Vulgar Little Mouse”, in The Historie of Foure-footed Beastes. […], London: […] William Iaggard, →OCLC, page 504:
      The Epithets of myce are thes; ſhort, ſmall, fearful, peaceable, ridiculous, ruſtik, or country mouſe, vrbane, or citty mouſe, […]
    • 1651, James Howell, “Of Officers or Magistrats in Generall”, in S.P.Q.V.: A Survay of the Signorie of Venice, […], London: […] Richard Lowndes […], →OCLC, page 16:
      All theſe Magiſtrats are but temporary, and have a time limited them; the Urbane or Citty Magiſtrats ſome of them continue in office 6. months, others 8. months, others are annuall; […]
    • c. 1806–1809 (date written), William Wordsworth, “Book the Eighth. The Parsonage.”, in The Excursion, being a Portion of The Recluse, a Poem, London: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […], published 1814, →OCLC, page 362:
      Raising, through just gradation, savage life / To rustic, and the rustic to urbane.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “urbane, adj.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2023; “urbane, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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German

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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urbane

  1. inflection of urban:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

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Adjective

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urbane f pl

  1. feminine plural of urbano

Anagrams

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Latin

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Etymology 1

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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urbāne

  1. vocative singular of urbānus

Etymology 2

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Pronunciation

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Adverb

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urbānē (comparative urbānius, superlative urbānissimē)

  1. urbanely

References

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  • “urbane”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “urbane”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Norwegian Bokmål

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Adjective

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urbane

  1. definite singular and plural of urban

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Adjective

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urbane

  1. definite singular and plural of urban
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