etiquette

[ et-i-kit, -ket ]

noun

1. conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.
2. a prescribed or accepted code of usage in matters of ceremony, as at a court or in official or other formal observances.
3. the code of ethical behavior regarding professional practice or action among the members of a profession in their dealings with each other:

   medical etiquette.

etiquette

/ ˈɛtɪˌkɛt; ˌɛtɪˈkɛt /

noun

1. the customs or rules governing behaviour regarded as correct or acceptable in social or official life
2. a conventional but unwritten code of practice followed by members of any of certain professions or groups

   medical etiquette

Word History and Origins

Origin of etiquette¹

First recorded in 1730–40; from French étiquette, Middle French estiquette “ticket, label, memorandum,” derivative of estiqu(i)er “to attach, stick” from Germanic. See stick ², -ette

Word History and Origins

Origin of etiquette¹

C18: from French, from Old French estiquette label, from estiquier to attach; see stick ²

Synonym Study

Etiquette, decorum, propriety imply observance of the formal requirements governing behavior in polite society. Etiquette refers to conventional forms and usages: the rules of etiquette. Decorum suggests dignity and a sense of what is becoming or appropriate for a person of good breeding: a fine sense of decorum. Propriety (usually plural) implies established conventions of morals and good taste: She never fails to observe the proprieties.

Example Sentences

There is no etiquette rule that dictates who should initiate holiday calls.

From Washington Post

We usually enjoy our meals together at the table, but of late, he has abandoned all forms of dining etiquette.

From Washington Post

It’s also created new—and sometimes contentious—etiquette and social dynamics.

From Outside Online

This covers basic gun safety, hunting regulations, rudimentary outdoor skills, and general hunting etiquette.

From Outside Online

Wedding etiquette right now comes down to how couples can prioritize not only their health, but also the health and safety of their loved ones.

From Fortune

The key is to recognize that etiquette changes over time and varies across circumstances.

From The Daily Beast

And literary decorum, to elaborate, is almost the opposite of what decorum means in real life, which means etiquette basically.

From The Daily Beast

The three-day rule is just one of many dating etiquette rules that have been killed by modern-day technology.

From The Daily Beast

But if I tell, I risk seeming like a huge dork... What do you think is the proper etiquette?

From The Daily Beast

He also has fabulous posture, good table etiquette, and grace.

From The Daily Beast

If you wanted to let her go you did so; if not, you talked in the squeaky voice that is the recognized etiquette of the carnival.

From Project Gutenberg

In Havana, as throughout Cuba, there is a cigar etiquette, to infringe any of the rules of which is construed as an insult.

From Project Gutenberg

Etiquette exists in some form in all countries, has existed and will exist in all ages.

From Project Gutenberg

The attention to the small details of table etiquette is one of the surest marks of good breeding.

From Project Gutenberg

The king, however, soon forgot the neglect of etiquette in the momentous questions which were pressing upon his attention.

From Project Gutenberg