well-mannered
Meaning
having or showing good manners; polite.
Structure
Usage
the children were praised for being exceptionally well-mannered at the formal dinner.
he is a well-mannered and respectful young man.
it is important to be well-mannered in professional settings.
Etymology
The compound "well-mannered" is a straightforward English formation. The adverb "well," with its ancient Germanic roots meaning "in a good way," is prefixed to the adjective "mannered," which derives from the noun "manner." "manner" itself entered English from Old French maniere, ultimately tracing back to Latin manuarius ("of the hand"), from manus ("hand"). The semantic shift from "hand" to "method or way of doing" likely originated from the concept of handling things. Thus, "well-mannered" literally describes someone whose "way of handling" social interactions is good, evolving into its modern sense of being polite and courteous.
Analysis
- well: from old english wel, meaning "in a good way, rightly, properly." functions as an intensifying adverb modifying the adjective. - mannered: from middle english manere, meaning "kind, sort, way of acting," plus the past participle suffix -ed. the combined form mannered means "having manners of a specified kind."