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

Etiquette and presentability are a performance for anyone, but they are concepts created and defined by white people in this country.

From Slate

Peralta, who teaches drama to students in kindergarten through sixth grade, said that it’s not uncommon nowadays to see the structures of social media–comment etiquette bleed into interpersonal interactions among his students.

From Slate

Others seek help with navigating social etiquette, such as how to interpret dress codes or respond to a difficult colleague.

From Slate

In a 2018 race infamous for its atrocious weather, Stocks remembers shunning social etiquette.

From BBC

“Etiquette is kind of beside the point. It’s like reading a ransom note and going, ‘This cursive is just so lovely.

From Salon