English

edit

Etymology

edit

From Middle English pulcritude, from Latin pulchritūdō, from pulcher (beautiful).

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

pulchritude (usually uncountable, plural pulchritudes)

  1. Physical beauty.
    • 1978, Charles D. Benson and William Barnaby Faherty, Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations, NASA Special Publication 4204, 1978, ch. 4 [1]
      One participant recalls arriving at his Cocoa Beach motel on a Saturday evening with the Miss Universe contest on TV. To his wife's amazement, his interest in feminine pulchritude gave way to fatigue, and he was asleep before the final selection.
    • 1979, The Jerk, 00:18:20:
      Do you know why a woman of such pulchritude is married to me? 'Cause I make a comfortable living.
    Synonym: comeliness

Derived terms

edit

Translations

edit