Quaintest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. characterized by a captivating charm that is distinctly unusual or old-fashioned and often evokes nostalgia or a sense of simplicity
2. Remarkably charming and delightfully old-fashioned, often evoking thoughts of a simpler time
3. Exhibiting a pleasingly unusual or antique charm that appeals through its simplicity and uniqueness

Etymology: "Quaintest" is the superlative of "quaint," and the adjective has a surprising track record: its ancestor meant something close to "clever" or "knowing," with no hint of charm. The Latin source is "cognitus," the past participle of "cognoscere" ("to know"), which passed into Old French as "cointe," meaning "pretty, clever, knowing." Medieval English borrowed it through Anglo-Norman as "queynte" and "quoynte," and for centuries the word carried the sense of skill or cleverness, sometimes with a hint of sly ingenuity. The shift toward its present meaning happened gradually. Ideas of "clever" and "skilful" softened into "elegant" or "dainty," and eventually into "odd" or "old-fashioned in a charming way." That final stage is why we now speak of a quaint village or a quaint teapot: the charm comes from things looking pleasingly out of step with the present. A word that once praised a person's wit now praises a cottage's crooked roofline.

Synonyms: most charming, most picturesque, most unusual, most old-fashioned, most whimsical

Antonyms: most modern, most ordinary, most conventional, most common, most unremarkable