adjective
quaint
KWAYNT/kweɪnt/
Attractively unusual or old-fashioned.
The quaint cottage has a crooked outline, flowers, and an old bicycle.
Etymology
Old French cointe meant “clever” or “elegant.” English moved through “skillfully made” to “fanciful” and “odd,” eventually giving quaint its present sense of something charmingly unusual or old-fashioned.
In context
the quaint old stone staircase to the long banqueting hall with its paneled oak ceiling, which in these modern days had been transformed into a bright, pleasant drawing-room
More examples
- They stayed in a quaint village.
- She preferred the quainter shop.
- It was the quaintest house on the lane.
Forms
quaint · quainter · quaintest
quaintness noun — attractively unusual old-fashioned character
Similar words
- picturesque
- Emphasizes visual charm rather than old-fashioned unusualness.
- quirky
- Suggests distinctive oddness without necessarily historical charm.