English
beau
Beau comes from Old French beau, from Latin bellus ‘beautiful’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos‘good’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos
- Old Latin, derivedc. 700–75 BCE*duenelosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbellus‘beautiful’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400beau
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500beau
- Englishearliest quotation 1811beau
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos‘good’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos
- Old Latin, derivedc. 700–75 BCE*duenelosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbellus‘beautiful’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400beau
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500beau
- Englishearliest quotation 1811beau
Earliest quotation: 1811, Jane Austen, London: […] C[harles] Roworth: “[…]—I suppose your brother was quite a beau, Miss…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- ‘to fit’
down, town, tool, teen, dynamic, dynasty, tow, dun, dynamo, dynastic, tine, taw, benefice, 95 more
through Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’
bonus, ben, optimal, beneficial, rebellion, bonnie, optimism, boon, beneficiary, rebellious, bonny, bene, rebelling, bonbon, 39 more
through Old Latin duenos
through Old Latin *duenelos
rebel, revel, bellicose, 21 more
through Latin bellus ‘beautiful’
Today it means
noun A man with a reputation for fine dress and etiquette; a dandy or fop.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *dwenos / beau