Convenance

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Conformity with what is fitting, appropriate, or socially acceptable in a given situation
2. Accordance with standards of dignity, decorum, or what custom and taste deem proper
3. Compliance with what is suitable, correct, or respectable according to social conventions

Etymology: "Convenance" entered English from French, where it meant agreement, suitability or fitness, and it is a doublet of "convenience", the two forms having split from the same French source and taken on different roles in English. The French word goes back to the Latin "convenire", meaning to come together or agree, a verb that also gave English "convene" and "convention". In English, "convenance" kept the older sense of propriety and conformity to what is fitting, and it is most often found in the plural, "convenances", meaning the accepted rules of polite behaviour and social decorum. "Convenience" took the path toward practical ease and advantage, which is why the two words look alike yet point in different directions. The plural form appears mainly in writing that deliberately borrows French flavour, where the word signals a set of unspoken social expectations rather than a matter of comfort.