douceur means sweetness of manner: agreeableness, gentleness. It carries an Arena rating of 1712, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, douceur ranks #151 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,234 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,542 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #4,859 of 17,151 for The Improbable.
Why “douceur” is a great word
A gift or payment given to secure goodwill or smooth a transaction, or the quality of sweetness and gentleness in manner. From the French douceur (“sweetness”), from Old French dolçor, from Latin dulcor (“sweetness”), from dulcis (“sweet”); naturalized in Middle English as douceoure, then re-borrowed from French from the 17th century onward. Unlike a “bribe,” which stains with corruption, or “gentleness,” which is a broad disposition, a douceur is an artful mollification—the folded banknote pressed into a concierge’s palm, the complimentary glass of port offered to ease a negotiation, the soft light of a late autumn afternoon that apologizes for the coming winter. It is the application of a little sugar to make the machinery of life run quietly, a small, conscious mitigation of the world’s friction.
Etymology
Borrowed from French douceur (“sweetness”), from Old French dolçor, dulcur, etc., from Latin dulcōr + -em, from dulcis (“sweet”). Naturalized in Middle English as douceoure, dousour but treated as a French loanword from the 17th century onward. Doublet of dulcour.
noun
- Sweetness of manner: agreeableness, gentleness.
- Sweet speech: a compliment.
- A sweetener: a gift offered to sweeten another's attitude, a tip or bribe.
- A tax break provided as an inducement to sell valuable items (especially art) to public collections rather than on the open market.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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