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    What English adjective suggests that politeness, refinement and elegance were originally linked with townspeople rather than with countryside people?

    Question #106706. Asked by flem-ish. (Jun 29 09 8:09 AM)


    Lottie1001

    		The word "civil" comes from the Latin "civis, civitatis" meaning citizen.

    http://bjaques.co.uk/etym/cvdft.htm

    Jun 29 09, 8:14 AM
    flem-ish

    		Right.That prejudice must have been a very strong one because there is also another example.A six-letter word.

    Jun 29 09, 9:49 AM
    Datsmeharse

    		Urbane suggests those things.
    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/urbane

    Though I'm just guessing, since I'm a white trash redneck.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_trash
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redneck


    Jun 29 09, 10:42 AM
    queproblema

    		I wouldn't call it a prejudice but a fact. Look up the etymologies of boor, peasant, rustic, villain...

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boor

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peasant

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rustic

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/villain

    Or remember "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse."
    http://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/city.html

    I read long ago that "polite" came from the Greek "polis,"--city-- but on looking it up just now find that is not true. :-( It comes from a Latin word for "polish."
    http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=polite

    Jun 29 09, 1:54 PM
    queproblema

    		Can't resist--I just found this while doing totally unrelated research.

    "Although Abigail's father approved of the match, her mother was appalled that a Smith would throw her life away on a country lawyer whose manners still reeked of the farm, but eventually she gave in."

    The country lawyer in question was John Adams.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Adams

    Jun 29 09, 7:11 PM

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