Mense

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To reflect well upon someone or something ; dignity or honor gained from achievement or bearing
2. To bring credit or distinction to a person or action ; the quality of being worthy or dignified
3. To do someone credit through proper conduct ; a state of honorable standing or respectability

Etymology: "Mense" is a Scots word meaning good manners, courtesy, or decency, especially the polite good sense that keeps a person from being rude or boorish. Its path into the language runs through an older sense of humanity itself: Old English "mennisċu" meant "the human condition" or humankind, built from the same root as "man" and linked to Old Norse "menska," also meaning humanity. Over time, the notion of what makes someone properly human shifted toward how a decent person behaves, so the word came to name the courtesy expected of a human being. The form "mense" developed from the Middle English "menske," which carried the sense of courtesy and honour. Through a Scots form "mensk," the word settled into the Scottish dialect, where it has remained in use, most often in phrases like "he hasna the mense to..." that describe someone who lacks basic tact or decency.

Synonyms: dignity, propriety, decorum

Antonyms: indignity, impropriety