Elegantとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

From Late 中期英語 elegaunt, from Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin ēlegāns, collateral form of present participle of ēligere, from ex- (“out of, from”) +‎ legō (“choose, select, appoint”).

発音

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA: /ˈɛl.ə.ɡənt/
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA: /ˈel.ə.ɡənt/
• ハイフネーション: el‧e‧gant

形容詞

elegant (comparative more elegant, superlative most elegant)

1. Characterised by or exhibiting elegance; having grace, refinement, or tasteful simplicity.

   Synonyms: classy, graceful, refined, dressy

   Antonyms: inelegant, clumsy

   • 2015 October 27, Matt Preston, The Simple Secrets to Cooking Everything Better‎, Plum, →ISBN, page 192:

     You could just use ordinary shop-bought kecap manis to marinade the meat, but making your own is easy, has a far more elegant fragrance and is, above all, such a great brag! Flavouring kecap manis is an intensely personal thing, so try this version now and next time cook the sauce down with crushed, split lemongrass and a shredded lime leaf.

2. Characterised by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision.

   Antonyms: inelegant, sloppy, haphazard

   an elegant solution

   • 2025 February 19, Paul Clifton, “I am absolutely committed to reforming the railway”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 41:

     "For myself, because of the baggage of 30 years of balkanisation, I think the elegant solution is to take operations back into the public sector. It will mean you can have a whole-industry approach to running the railway, unencumbered by contractual differences."

3. (Ireland, colloquial, archaic) Fine; doing well.
   • 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

     'An' how are ye, Jemmie—how's every inch iv you?' enquired Moggy of the boy, when his agitation was a little blown over.
     'I'm elegant, thank ye,' he answered; 'an' what's the matther wid ye all? I cum through the kitchen, and seen no one.'

使用する際の注意点

In the early 20th century, often used ironically to mean "overrefined". This sarcastic connotation has now largely fallen out of use, leading to confusion about some derived terms such as elegant variation.

派生語

関連する語

• elect
• eligible
• elite

名詞

elegant (plural elegants)

1. An elegant parrot.
   • 1895, The Avicultural Magazine, Volume 1, The Avicultural Society for the Study of Foreign and British Birds, page 22:

     But if the Aviarist be ambitious to keep the lovely, but destructive, members of the Parrot family, he must be content with grass alone, because Parrakeets (except the weak-billed Turquoisines and Elegants) would destroy the shrubs and trees in a day.

参照

アナグラム

• angelet