A person with social graces; a refined or sophisticated person.
Origin
From Middle English couth ("familiar, known; evident, true; famous, respected, well-known; genteel, having good manners"), from Old English cūþ ("familiar, intimate, known, usual; certain, plain, manifest; famous, noted, well-known; excellent; friendly; related"), past participle of cunnan, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną ("to be familiar with, know, recognize; to be able, know how") (compare *kunþaz), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ("to know"). The word is cognate with Dutch kond ("known"), Saterland Frisian cut ("known"), Gothic 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌸𐍃 ("known"), Icelandic kuðr, kunnur, Latin gnosco ("to know"), Old High German kund, chund, chunt, Middle High German kunt (modern German kund ("known")), Old Saxon kūth, cûth, cuð, Scots couth ("familiar, known"); and is a could.
Modern English dictionary
Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.
Word of the Day
Get a curated memorable word every day.
Challenge yourself
Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.