Etymologically
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deluxe

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 18:42. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • US: /dəˈlʌks/, /dɪˈlʌks/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French de luxe (“of luxury”),[2][3][4][5][6] formed from de (“of”) and luxe (“luxury”),[7][6] from Latin luxus (“excess, abundance”),[3][6] the source of luxury.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Luxurious, sumptuous, of a superior kind: 1819, in the Edinburgh Review.[2][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The French phrase entered English as an adjective in the early 19th century,[5][8][9] at first written as two words, de luxe, the form under which the OED and the Shorter Oxford still enter it.[2][8][3] It is used especially of goods and products that are richer, more elegant or better equipped than the ordinary kind,[9] and in American English also as an adverb, "in a luxurious manner".[4][9]

Timeline

  • 1819 – de luxe, luxurious, of a superior kind.[2][6][3][4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Luxurious or elegant; of better quality or with more features than the standard kind: They booked the deluxe suite for their anniversary.

Adverb

  1. (chiefly US) In a luxurious manner: They crossed the Atlantic deluxe.

Word family

  • superdeluxe

Usage notes

It is spelled both deluxe and de luxe, and Collins gives both.[9][3] British dictionaries record pronunciations with the vowel of luck and, closer to French, with that of look or Luke.[2][8][9]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  8. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins