beauty

Etymology

From Middle English bewty, bewte, beaute, bealte, from Anglo-Norman and Old French beauté (early Old French spelling biauté), from Vulgar Latin *bellitātem (“beauty”), from Latin bellus (“beautiful, fair”); see beau. In this sense, mostly displaced native Old English fæġernes, whence Modern English fairness.

noun

1. The quality of being (especially visually) attractive, pleasing, fine or good-looking; comeliness.
   "The aviators didn't get him," Denham replied slowly. "What?" "It was Beauty. As always Beauty killed the Beast." 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 152
   1988, "… beauty and recollection, like danger, glamour, greed, hunger- everything but disappointment and desire- were concepts belonging to other people.” -Second Son, Robert Ferro
2. Someone who is beautiful.
   Brigitte Bardot was a renowned beauty.
3. Something that is particularly good or pleasing.
   What a goal! That was a real beauty!
4. An excellent or egregious example of something.
   He got into a fight and ended up with two black eyes – two real beauties!
5. (with the definite article) The excellence or genius of a scheme or decision.
   The beauty of the deal is it costs nothing!
6. (physics, obsolete) A beauty quark (now called bottom quark).
7. Beauty treatment; cosmetology.
8. (obsolete) Prevailing style or taste; rage; fashion.
9. (archaic, in the plural) Beautiful passages or extracts of poetry.

intj

1. (Canada) Thanks!
2. (Canada) Cool!
   It's the long weekend. Beauty!

adj

1. (Canada) Of high quality, well done.
   He made a beauty pass through the neutral zone.

verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To make beautiful.