Words / C1

ET-ik-et/ˈetɪket/

Etiquette is the rules of polite behaviour in a particular group or place: email etiquette, table etiquette. Manners is everyday; protocol is official procedure (diplomacy, ceremonies); politeness is the quality, not the code. In speech, the polite rules or how it is done here is enough. Etiquette is local: what is right in a seminar may be wrong in a pub. Do not confuse it with ethics (moral principles).

Meaning

The rules of polite behaviour in a particular group or place.

Examples

• “Email etiquette is part of the course.”
• “Email etiquette on the course: no whole-class replies to a private query.”
• “Wedding etiquette baffled him; kindness did not, which was the better guide.”

Good to know

A code of polite behaviour in a setting. Everyday: manners / the done thing. Close: protocol (official). Contrast: ethics (morals). Local to the group.

Near in meaning

manners

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