beaut
UK[bjuːt]US[bjuːt]
n
An excellent or egregious example of something, often used humorously or ironically.
n
(archaic) A beautiful person or thing.
Etymology
The word 'beaut' is a colloquial clipping of the noun 'beauty', which entered English from Anglo-Norman French 'beute' or Old French 'biaute'. These derive from Vulgar Latin 'bellitas', a noun formed from the Latin adjective 'bellus' meaning 'pretty, handsome, charming'. The core Latin root 'bellus' is itself a diminutive of an earlier Latin word 'benus', thought to be related to 'bonus' (good). The clipped form 'beaut' emerged in the 19th century, initially as a straightforward synonym for 'beauty' but evolving a distinct, often ironic or emphatic character in modern informal usage to denote something strikingly good or bad.
Analysis
This word is a simplex, formed by clipping from the longer word "beauty". It is not productively composed of smaller, meaningful morphemes in its current form.
Examples
That goal was an absolute beaut from thirty yards out.
He drove a real beaut of an old Cadillac, all polished and gleaming.
Oh, you've made a beaut of a mistake this time.