Savoir Vivre

Savoir-vivre

[sav-wahr-vee-vruh, -veev; Fr. sa-vwar-vee-vruh]

–noun

knowledge of the world and the ways or usages of polite society.

familiarity with the customs of good society; breeding

ability to live life well and with intelligent enjoyment, meeting every situation with poise, good manners, and elegance.

Origin:
1745–55; F: lit., knowing how to live

Quote:
Now, a corpse, poor thing, is an untouchable and the process of decay is, of all pieces of bad manners, the vulgarest imaginable. For a corpse is, by definition, a person absolutely devoid of savoir vivre. Aldous Huxley (1894–1963), British author. repr. In Music at Night and Other Essays (1949). "Vulgarity in Literature," (1930).