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elegant

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elegant


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Elegant  \El"e*gant\,  a.  [L.  elegans,  -antis;  akin  to  eligere  to 
  pick  out  choose  select:  cf  F.  ['e]l['e]gant.  See  {Elect}.] 
  1.  Very  choice,  and  hence  pleasing  to  good  taste; 
  characterized  by  grace,  propriety,  and  refinement,  and  the 
  absence  of  every  thing  offensive;  exciting  admiration  and 
  approbation  by  symmetry,  completeness,  freedom  from 
  blemish,  and  the  like  graceful;  tasteful  and  highly 
  attractive;  as  elegant  manners;  elegant  style  of 
  composition;  an  elegant  speaker;  an  elegant  structure. 
 
  A  more  diligent  cultivation  of  elegant  literature. 
  --Prescott. 
 
  2.  Exercising  a  nice  choice;  discriminating  beauty  or 
  sensitive  to  beauty;  as  elegant  taste. 
 
  Syn:  Tasteful;  polished;  graceful;  refined;  comely;  handsome; 
  richly  ornamental. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  elegant 
  adj  1:  refined  and  tasteful  in  appearance  or  behavior  or  style; 
  "elegant  handwriting";  "an  elegant  dark  suit";  "she 
  was  elegant  to  her  fingertips";  "small  churches  with 
  elegant  white  spires";  "an  elegant  mathematical 
  solution--simple  and  precise  and  lucid"  [ant:  {inelegant}] 
  2:  suggesting  taste,  ease,  and  wealth  [syn:  {graceful},  {refined}] 
  3:  of  seemingly  effortless  beauty  in  form  or  proportion 
  4:  refined  or  imposing  in  manner  or  appearance;  befitting  a 
  royal  court;  "a  courtly  gentleman"  [syn:  {courtly},  {formal}, 
  {stately}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  elegant  adj  [common;  from  mathematical  usage]  Combining 
  simplicity,  power,  and  a  certain  ineffable  grace  of  design.  Higher  praise 
  than  `clever',  `winning',  or  even  {cuspy}. 
 
  The  French  aviator,  adventurer,  and  author  Antoine  de 
  Saint-Exupe'ry,  probably  best  known  for  his  classic  children's  book 
  "The  Little  Prince",  was  also  an  aircraft  designer.  He  gave  us  perhaps 
  the  best  definition  of  engineering  elegance  when  he  said  "A  designer 
  knows  he  has  achieved  perfection  not  when  there  is  nothing  left  to  add 
  but  when  there  is  nothing  left  to  take  away." 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  elegant 
 
  (From  Mathematics)  Combining  simplicity,  power,  and  a  certain 
  ineffable  grace  of  design.  Higher  praise  than  "clever", 
  winning"  or  even  {cuspy}. 
 
  The  French  aviator,  adventurer,  and  author  Antoine  de 
  Saint-Exup'ery,  probably  best  known  for  his  classic  children's 
  book  "The  Little  Prince",  was  also  an  aircraft  designer.  He 
  gave  us  perhaps  the  best  definition  of  engineering  elegance 
  when  he  said  "A  designer  knows  he  has  achieved  perfection  not 
  when  there  is  nothing  left  to  add  but  when  there  is  nothing 
  left  to  take  away." 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
  (1994-11-29) 
 
 




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