Definitions For Douceur

Noun

DOUCEUR. (countable and uncountable, plural DOUCEURs) sweetness, sweetness of manner: agreeableness, gentleness. (obsolete) sweet, sweet speech: a compliment. A sweetener: a gift offered to sweeten another's attitude, a tip or bribe. (UK) A tax break provided as an inducement to sell valuable items (especially art) to public collections rather than on the open market.

Synonyms

sweet speech See thesaurus:praise sweetener See gift, gratuity, and thesaurus:bribe

Etymology

Borrowed from {{bor, en, fr, douceur, , sweetness}}, from {{der, en, fro, dolçor}}, dulcur, etc., from {{der, en, la, -}} {{suffix, la, dulcor, alt1=dulcōr, em, nocat=1}}, from dulcis, , sweet. Naturalized in {{etyl, enm, -}} but treated as a French loanword from the 17th century onward.