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Nowadays, no one refers to a "polite" looking glass or houses "polite" and in good repair, but polite (or polit or polyt, as it was spelled in Middle English) originally meant simply "polished" or "clean." By the early 1600s, polite was being used of polished and refined people, and politeness had been penned to name the shining quality of such people. Politesse (a French borrowing) debuted in the late 17th century. All three words stem from Latin polire, which means "to polish" (and which is, by way of the Anglo-French stem poliss-, an ancestor of the English polish). Today we tend to use politeness for everyday good manners and reserve politesse for more formal courtesies.
Examples of politesse in a Sentence
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
In 1948, Vogue published its 658-page Book of Etiquette, compiled by editor Millicent Fenwick, featuring how-tos, dos and don’ts, and the proper politesse for a remarkably varied set of scenarios.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2024
Her body language changes, her voice goes into the upper register of ladylike politesse.
—Jonathan Van Meter, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2024
Decades of French lessons schooled me in the strict rules of politesse.
—Theresa Conroy, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2024
In 1948, Vogue published its 658-page Book of Etiquette, compiled by editor Millicent Fenwick, featuring how-tos, dos and don’ts, and the proper politesse for a remarkably varied set of scenarios.
—Chloe Malle, Vogue, 9 July 2024
That’s the way it’s done in the Senate, where the politesse of a seemingly bygone political era still reigns supreme.
—Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 13 May 2024
In 1948, Vogue published its 658-page Book of Etiquette, compiled by editor Millicent Fenwick, featuring how-tos, dos and don’ts, and the proper politesse for a remarkably varied set of scenarios.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2024
In 1948, Vogue published its 658-page Book of Etiquette, compiled by editor Millicent Fenwick, featuring how-tos, dos and don’ts, and the proper politesse for a remarkably varied set of scenarios.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Politesse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/politesse. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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