savoir-vivre

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savoir-vivre

Where it comes from

Borrowed from French savoir-vivre, a nominalization of the verb phrase savoir vivre "to know how to live."

noun

uncountable Familiarity with the customs of polite society. Like it or not, we are more invested in France, which has come to epitomise culture, good taste, style and savoir-vivre – even though that reverence is the product of ignorance as much as familiarity.

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MLA

"savoir-vivre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/savoir-vivre. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

savoir-vivre. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/savoir-vivre

Chicago

"savoir-vivre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/savoir-vivre.

BibTeX

@misc{savoir_vivre_2026,
  title = {savoir-vivre},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/savoir-vivre},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}