punctilio means A fine point in exactness of conduct, ceremony, etiquette or procedure. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
punctilio is pronounced /pʌŋkˈtɪliˌoʊ/.
Why “punctilio” is a great word
PUNCTILIO — [Noun] A fine point or minute detail of conduct, ceremony, etiquette, or procedure, observed with strict formality. From Italian *puntiglio* or Spanish *puntillo*, diminutives from Latin *pūnctum* ("point"). First recorded in English 1590–1600. Unlike "formality," which denotes the general observance of rules, or "nuance," which implies a subtle distinction in meaning, punctilio is the exacting veneration of procedural filaments. It is the precise angle of a bow, the prescribed width of a mourning band, the mandated steps backward from a sovereign—a brittle architecture of conduct built to keep the vastness of social chaos politely at bay.
noun
- A fine point in exactness of conduct, ceremony, etiquette or procedure.“[…]–but, a-propos, ſaid he—Shakeſpear is full of great things—He forgot a ſmall punctillio of announcing your name—it puts you under a neceſſity of doing it yourſelf.”
- Strictness in observance of formalities.“Alas! she little conceived that, though without any apparent levity or disregard to the world's censure, yet from an obsequiousness and acquiescence to the will and pleasure of others, into what thoughtless indiscretion and want of due punctilio she might be led; rendering her, in the case of Philimore and Oriana, by favouring them in their secret union, a most dangerous intimate!”