Etymologically
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glamorous

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈɡlæ.mə.ɹəs/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English glamour + -ous,[2][3][4][5] with the -u- dropped, as usual in such derivatives (see -or).[3] Glamour, originally Scottish, is an alteration of grammar used with the sense of gramarye, magic or occult learning;[6][4][7][2][3] for the change of r to l compare Medieval Latin glomeria (“grammar”).[6][4] It was brought into general English mainly by Sir Walter Scott.[7][3] Grammar goes back through gramaire and Latin grammatica to Ancient Greek γραμματική (grammatikḗ, “the art of letters, grammar”).[8][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Characteristic of magic or enchantment; having a magical appearance: 1838, in W. Herbert's Attila.[2] Merriam-Webster gives 1861 as the first known use,[9] and Etymonline 1875.[3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective followed the history of glamour, which moved from "magic, a spell" to "magical beauty, alluring charm" by 1840, and later to the fashionable allure of Hollywood, high fashion and celebrity, by 1939.[3][7] The first, magical sense of glamorous is now rare,[2] though it was still used in Galloway in 1902 for "magic, supernatural".[10] From 1881 the word meant attractive in an exciting way, especially as suggesting a more colourful life,[2] and since 1928, of a person and especially a woman, beautiful and alluring, often with fine clothes and make-up.[2][11] Dictionary.com's date of 1935–40 reflects this later, everyday use.[5]

Timeline

  • 1838 – magical, enchanted (now rare).[2]
  • 1861 – first known use, according to Merriam-Webster.[9]
  • 1875 – date given by Etymonline.[3]
  • 1881 – attractive in an exciting way.[2]
  • 1902 – Galloway dialect, magic, supernatural.[10]
  • 1928 – of a person, beautiful and alluring.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Full of glamour; exciting and attractive, especially as suggesting wealth or fame: He gave up a glamorous job in television to run a farm.[11][9][2]
  2. Of a person, especially a woman: beautiful and alluring, often with stylish or showy dress and make-up.[11][2]
  3. (rare) Magical or enchanted in appearance.[2][10]

Word family

  • glamorously
  • glamorousness
  • ultraglamorous
  • unglamorous

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster and Collins give glamourous as a less common spelling,[9][11] even though British English keeps glamour for the noun.[4]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
  8. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  9. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  10. ^ a b c Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
  11. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins