suavity

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An eminent and stern political antagonist once refused an introduction to him expressly on the ground of a determination not to be magnetized by personal contact as he "had known other good haters" of Clay to be "United with this suavity was a wonderful will and an inflexible honor."

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  1. Pleasant or soothing quality or manner; agreeableness; blandness: as, suavity of manner or address. Our own people … greatly lack suavity, and show a comparative inattention to minor civilities. H. Spencer, Prin. of Sociol., § 431. The worst that can be said of it [Perugino's style] is that its suavity inclines to mawkishness, and that its quietism borders upon sleepiness. J. A. Symonds, Italy and Greece, p. 75.
  2. Hence Pl. suavities (-tiz). That which is suave, bland, or soothing. The elegances and suavities of life die out one by one as we sink through the social scale. O. W. Holmes, Professor, vi.
  3. Sweetness to the senses; a mild or agreeable quality. Johnson. She [Rachel] desired them [the mandrakes] for rarity, pulchritude, or suavity. Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., vii. 7.

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Etymologies (1)

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  1. from French suavité = Spanish suavidad = Portuguese suavidade = Italian suavità, soavità, from Latin suavita(t-)s, sweetness, pleasantness, from suavis, sweet, pleasant: see suave.
 

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