An archaic or specialized term for civility, politeness, or refined courteous behavior, particularly in formal social contexts.
From French civilité, ultimately from Latin civilis. This form preserves French spelling patterns and was used in English especially in formal 17th-18th century contexts.
The word 'civilité' survives in English mainly in historical texts about courtly behavior—it's almost fossilized, showing how specialized vocabulary for social graces gets replaced when societies change their values about what politeness means.
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