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Webster 1913 Edition


Civility

Ci-vil′i-ty

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Civilities
(#)
.
[L.
civilitas
: cf. F.
civilité
. See
Civil
.]
1.
The state of society in which the relations and duties of a citizen are recognized and obeyed; a state of civilization.
[Obs.]
Monarchies have risen from barbarrism to
civility
, and fallen again to ruin.
Sir J. Davies.
The gradual depature of all deeper signification from the word
civility
has obliged the creation of another word – civilization.
Trench.
2.
A civil office, or a civil process
[Obs.]
To serve in a
civility
.
Latimer.
3.
Courtesy; politeness; kind attention; good breeding; a polite act or expression.
The insolent
civility
of a proud man is, if possible, more shocking than his rudeness could be.
Chesterfield.
Syn. – Urbanity; affability; complaisance.

Webster 1828 Edition


Civility

CIVILITY

, n.
1.
The state of being civilized; refinement of manners; applied to nations; as distinguished from the rudeness of barbarous nations.
2.
Good breeding; politeness; complaisance; courtesy; decorum of behavior in the treatment of others, accompanied with kind offices, and attention to their wants and desires. Civility respects manners or external deportment, and in the plural, civilities denote acts of politeness.

Definition 2024


civility

civility

See Wiktionary:Civility for a guide to conduct within Wiktionary

English

Noun

civility (countable and uncountable, plural civilities)

  1. Politeness; courtesy; an individual act or a manner of behaving which conforms to social conventions of propriety.
    • Chesterfield
      The insolent civility of a proud man is, if possible, more shocking than his rudeness could be.
  2. (obsolete) The state of society in which the relations and duties of a citizen are recognized and obeyed; civilization.
    • Sir J. Davies
      Monarchies have risen from barbarism to civility, and fallen again to ruin.
  3. (obsolete) A civil office, or a civil process.
    • Latimer
      To serve in a civility.

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