Beau

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /bəʊ/
• US IPA: /boÊŠ/
• Homophones: bow
• Rhymes: -əʊ

Origin

Borrowing from fr beau < Latin bellus ("beautiful").

Full definition of beau

Noun

1. (dated) A man with a reputation for fine dress and etiquette; a dandy or fop.
• 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, chapter 21“I do not comprehend the meaning of the word. But this I can say, that if he ever was a beau before he married, he is one still, for there is not the smallest alteration in him.”“Oh! dear! one never thinks of married mens’ being beaux—they have something else to do.”
2. (dated) A male lover; a boyfriend.
• 1917, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, p. 142:Hannah's beau takes all her time 'n' thought, and when she gits a husband her mother'll be out o' sight and out o' mind.
• 2009, Philippa Bourke, Monsters and Critics http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1518335.php/Kristin-Davis-takes-cover-on-beach-with-beau#ixzz0ZRsqa5SS, Dec 10, 2009:Kristin Davis has taken time out to enjoy the surf and sand with her Australian beau, photographer Russell James.
3. A male escort.