Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A male companion or friend with whom one has a sexual or romantic relationship.
  • noun A dandy; a fop.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Good; fair: used especially in address: as, “beau sir,” See beausire, beaupere, etc.
  • noun (bōz).
  • noun One who is very neat and particular about his dress, and fond of ornaments and jewelry; a fop; a dandy: now most often said of a man of middle age or older: as, he is an old beau.
  • noun A man who is suitor to or is attentive to a lady; a lover; a swain.
  • noun Synonyms Dandy, Exquisite, etc. See coxcomb.
  • To act the beau to; attend or escort (a lady).

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A man who takes great care to dress in the latest fashion; a dandy.
  • noun A man who escorts, or pays attentions to, a lady; an escort; a suitor or lover.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun dated A man with a reputation for fine dress and etiquette; a dandy or fop.
  • noun dated A male lover; a boyfriend.
  • noun A male escort.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance
  • noun a man who is the lover of a girl or young woman

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from beau, bel, handsome, from Latin bellus; see deu- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Borrowing from French beau < Latin bellus ("beautiful").

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Examples

  • 'There is, of course, no one I should prefer to _le beau capitaine_ -- there is no one to whom I would confide my Olive more willingly; but, then, one must look to other things; one cannot live entirely on love, even if it be the love of a _beau capitaine_.'

    Muslin 1892

  • Theron's long-term beau is Irish actor Stuart Townsend.

    Top Stories: BreakingNews.ie 2008

  • Today DoCoMo announced that Ms. DoCoMushroom is to be given a love interest – and DoCoMo subscribers will get the chance to choose her new beau from a shortlist of potential suitors.

    Archive 2007-02-01 Jan Kuczynski 2007

  • Today DoCoMo announced that Ms. DoCoMushroom is to be given a love interest – and DoCoMo subscribers will get the chance to choose her new beau from a shortlist of potential suitors.

    Subscribers get to choose new DoCoMushroom Jan Kuczynski 2007

  • Fortunately, my current beau is a gorgeous and fun divorcee who is also marriage-shy.

    Top 10 Reasons Why Men Won’t Commit | Impact Lab 2006

  • The beau is watching Othello tonight with a friend, so instead of sitting around the house with my dog feeling sorry for myself, I decided to go out and about.

    all the small things. « Love | Peace | Ohana 2006

  • He alighted on the word beau hurriedly, like a bird coming to ground with a little bounce.

    Twilight in Italy 2003

  • The rich and idle beau is nearly always planning marriage without a ring, and the lass is rescued by her strong, hard-working garage hand.

    As I Please 1944

  • "Well, Aunt Olivia, your beau is off," she announced cheerfully.

    Chronicles of Avonlea Lucy Maud 1912

  • Jewel's beau is arrested, an 'granny ain't been seen nowhere since she went into the building last night.

    Hagar's Daughter: A Story of Southern Caste Prejudice Pauline Elizabeth 1902

Comments

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  • In square dancing, the dancer in the left-hand position, relative to his (or her) partner. See belle

    February 6, 2008

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Brummell

    June 27, 2008

  • Held in regard by many Sons of the Confederacy.

    June 27, 2008

  • Good one Asa!

    June 27, 2008

  • In past centuries is was common for country estates to be named Beau Repair. Three such estates in west Cornwall were originally so called, but in the course of centuries the names have been corrupted (possibly by a Cornish-speaking population) into - Bareppa, near Falmouth; Barripper,near Camborne (famed for copper and tin mining in the 19th century); and Berepper, near Helston.Other names more easily interpreted are, for instance, Bellevue, Beaudesert (Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, UK) and Belair.

    February 3, 2012