Meanings
plural etiquettes · alternative étiquette
- countableuncountableThe manners or decent behaviour to be observed in social or professional life; conventional decorum; the ceremonial code of polite society.
20 May 2018, Hadley Freeman in The Guardian, Is Meghan Markle the American the royals have needed all along? Much shock was expressed in the British press about the Palace’s utter failure to control the Markles and the Markles’ lack of etiquette.
1 more example
Whenever Root would put his elbows on the table or clatter his dishes or commit any other breach of etiquette, the Professor would gently correct him.
2003, Yoko Ogawa, The Housekeeper and the Professor - countableuncountableThe customary behavior of members of a profession, business, law, or sports team towards each other.
Cycling's complex etiquette contains an unwritten rule that riders in contention for a race win should not be penalised for sheer misfortune.
2012 July 15, Richard Williams, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track, Guardian Unlimited
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)teyg-“to be sharp, to stab”
- Proto-Germanic*stikaną
- Frankish*stekan
- Middle Frenchestiquette“ticket, memorandum”
- Frenchétiquette“property, a little piece of paper, or a mark or title, affixed to a bag or bundle, expressing its contents, a label, ticket”
- Englishetiquette
1740, from French étiquette (“property, a little piece of paper, or a mark or title, affixed to a bag or bundle, expressing its contents, a label, ticket”), from Middle French estiquette (“ticket, memorandum”), from the Old French verb estechier, estichier, estequier (“to attach, stick”), (compare Picard estiquier (“to stick, pierce”)), from Frankish *stekan, *stikkjan (“to stick, pierce, sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stikaną, *stikōną, *staikijaną (“to be sharp, pierce, prick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp, to stab”). Akin to Old High German stehhan (“to stick, attach, nail”) (German stechen (“to stick”)), Old English stician (“to pierce, stab, be fastened”). The French Court of Louis XIV at Versailles used étiquettes (literally “little cards”) to remind courtiers to keep off of the grass and similar rules. More at stick (verb) and stitch. Doublet of ticket.
More words from French, Middle French, Frankish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic ذَوْق, آدَاب
- ذَوْق (ḏawq)forms to be observed in social or official life
- آدَاب (ʔādāb)forms to be observed in social or official life
Bengali আদব
- আদব (adob)forms to be observed in social or official life
Bulgarian етике́т, протоко́л
- етике́т (etikét)forms to be observed in social or official life
- протоко́л (protokól)forms to be observed in social or official life
- обича́й (običáj)customary behavior
Catalan etiqueta, etiqueta
- etiquetaforms to be observed in social or official life
- etiquetacustomary behavior
Chinese Mandarin 禮儀 /礼仪, 禮節 /礼节
- 禮儀 /礼仪 (lǐyí)forms to be observed in social or official life
- 禮節 /礼节 (lǐjié)forms to be observed in social or official life
Czech etiketa, etiketa
- etiketaforms to be observed in social or official life
- etiketacustomary behavior
Danish etikette, etikette
- etiketteforms to be observed in social or official life
- etikettecustomary behavior
Dutch etiquette
- etiquetteforms to be observed in social or official life
Esperanto etiketo
- etiketoforms to be observed in social or official life
Estonian etikett
- etikettforms to be observed in social or official life
Finnish etiketti
- etikettiforms to be observed in social or official life
French étiquette, étiquette
- étiquetteforms to be observed in social or official life
- étiquettecustomary behavior
German Etikette, Etikette
- Etiketteforms to be observed in social or official life
- Etikettecustomary behavior
Greek εθιμοτυπία, ετικέτα
- εθιμοτυπία (ethimotypía)forms to be observed in social or official life
- ετικέτα (etikéta)customary behavior
Hebrew אֶתִיקָה
- אֶתִיקָה (etika)customary behavior
Hindi शिष्टाचार, शिष्टाचार
- शिष्टाचार (śiṣṭācār)forms to be observed in social or official life
- शिष्टाचार (śiṣṭācār)customary behavior
Hungarian etikett, etikett
- etikettforms to be observed in social or official life
- etikettcustomary behavior
Indonesian etiket, tata adab
- etiketforms to be observed in social or official life
- tata adabforms to be observed in social or official life
- etiketcustomary behavior
Irish béasaíocht, béasaíocht
- béasaíochtforms to be observed in social or official life
- béasaíochtcustomary behavior
Italian galateo, comportamento
- galateoforms to be observed in social or official life
- comportamentocustomary behavior
- manieracustomary behavior
- modicustomary behavior
Japanese 礼儀, 作法
- 礼儀 (reigi)forms to be observed in social or official life
- 作法 (sahō)forms to be observed in social or official life
- エチケット (echiketto)forms to be observed in social or official life
- マナー (manā)forms to be observed in social or official life
Korean 예의, 례의
- 예의 (yeui)forms to be observed in social or official life
- 례의 (ryeui)forms to be observed in social or official life
- 예절 (yejeol)forms to be observed in social or official life
- 례절 (ryejeol)forms to be observed in social or official life
- 에티켓 (etiket)forms to be observed in social or official life
Latvian etiķete
- etiķeteforms to be observed in social or official life
Lithuanian etiketas
- etiketasforms to be observed in social or official life
Malay etiket
- etiketcustomary behavior
Māori tikanga, kawa
- tikangaforms to be observed in social or official life
- kawaforms to be observed in social or official life
- kawacustomary behavior
- tikangacustomary behavior
Norwegian Bokmål form, etikette
- formcustomary behavior
- etikettecustomary behavior
Persian اتیکت, آداب
- اتیکت (etiket)forms to be observed in social or official life
- آداب (âdâb)forms to be observed in social or official life
Polish etykieta, kurtuazja
- etykietaforms to be observed in social or official life
- kurtuazjaforms to be observed in social or official life
Portuguese etiqueta, etiqueta
- etiquetaforms to be observed in social or official life
- etiquetacustomary behavior
Romanian etichetă, etichetă
- etichetăforms to be observed in social or official life
- etichetăcustomary behavior
Russian этике́т, протоко́л
- этике́т (etikét)forms to be observed in social or official life
- протоко́л (protokól)forms to be observed in social or official life
- обы́чай (obýčaj)customary behavior
Slovak etiketa
- etiketaforms to be observed in social or official life
Spanish etiqueta, reglas de etiqueta
- etiquetaforms to be observed in social or official life
- reglas de etiquetaforms to be observed in social or official life
- etiquetacustomary behavior
- normas de etiquetacustomary behavior
Swedish etikett, etikett
- etikettforms to be observed in social or official life
- etikettcustomary behavior
Thai มารยาท, จรรยา
- มารยาท (maa-rá-yâat)forms to be observed in social or official life
- จรรยา (jan-yaa)forms to be observed in social or official life
- มรรยาท (man-yâat)forms to be observed in social or official life
Turkish görgü
- görgüforms to be observed in social or official life
Ukrainian етике́т
- етике́т (etykét)forms to be observed in social or official life
Vietnamese lễ nghi, nghi lễ
- lễ nghiforms to be observed in social or official life
- nghi lễforms to be observed in social or official life
Welsh defod, moesau
- defodforms to be observed in social or official life
- moesauforms to be observed in social or official life
Yiddish עטיקעט
- עטיקעט (etiket)forms to be observed in social or official life
Cite this entry
etiquette. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/etiquette
“etiquette.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/etiquette. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “etiquette,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/etiquette.
Source: etiquette on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.