Queenish

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Resembling or displaying qualities typical of a queen ; possessing regal dignity and commanding presence
2. Having the manner, appearance or attributes of a queen ; characterized by noble bearing and dignified composure
3. Exhibiting queenly characteristics or demeanor ; marked by stately grace and authoritative elegance

Etymology: "Queenish" is a plain formation: "queen" with the suffix "-ish", meaning having the qualities of or resembling a queen, and it is the sort of adjective English builds freely from a noun. The more interesting wrinkle is that it is a doublet of "queanish", the two forms having split from a single older source. The word "queen" itself comes from an Old English root meaning woman or wife, which is why the same stem once could also mean a woman of low repute, a sense that survives in the older "quean". The "-ish" suffix, inherited from Old English, gives the sense of "somewhat like" or "characteristic of." Because "queanish" kept the older, coarser association while "queenish" settled into the royal sense, the pair shows how one word could divide into a respectable form and a disreputable one. Both forms descend from the same root, so the difference lies in the spelling and the sense that each has taken over time.

Synonyms: queenly, regal, majestic