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quaintattractively unusual or old-fashioned in a charming way

Part of speech: ADJECTIVE

Definition: attractively unusual or old-fashioned in a charming way

Pronunciation (IPA): /kweɪnt/

Example Sentences

  • The professor's quaint habit of wearing bow ties made him popular among students.
  • She found his quaint notion that women shouldn't work rather outdated.
  • The tourist brochure promised a quaint bed-and-breakfast experience, but we got a haunted house instead.

quaint

ADJECTIVE

[/kweɪnt/]

attractively unusual or old-fashioned in a charming way

The quaint little bakery on the corner still uses a wood-fired oven.
💡 Concept

The quaint little bakery on the corner still uses a wood-fired oven.

Paint in a quaint cottage until you faint!
🎵 Rhyme

Paint in a quaint cottage until you faint!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/kweɪnt/
🇬🇧 UK/kweɪnt/

🌳Etymology

Rootquaint

Origin

From Old French 'cointe' meaning clever or sophisticated, derived from Latin 'cognitus' (known, acquainted). The word evolved through Middle English to acquire its modern sense of charmingly old-fashioned or quaintly unusual.

Breakdown

No clear morpheme breakdown in modern English; the word is a direct borrowing from Old French 'cointe' which itself derives from Latin 'cognitus' (past participle of 'cognoscere', meaning to know)

🎵Rhyme

paintsaintfainttaint
paint
saint
faint
taint

🔗Collocations

quaint village
quaint cottage
quaint customs
quaint old house
quaint charm
quaint little shop

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

The professor's quaint habit of wearing bow ties made him popular among students.

She found his quaint notion that women shouldn't work rather outdated.

😄 Fun example

The tourist brochure promised a quaint bed-and-breakfast experience, but we got a haunted house instead.

The quaint cobblestone streets of the old town attract thousands of visitors each year.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

charmingpicturesqueold-fashionedantiquatedrustic

Antonyms

moderncontemporaryconventional

Related

vintagenostalgictraditionalruralcozy

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