Decor and Decorum Both Mean What Is Fitting
Decor is the decorative style of a room. It shares a root with decorum, the sense of behaviour that suits the occasion.
Decor is the decorative style and furnishing of a room or building. The word arrived from French but rests on Latin *decor*, meaning what is fitting or becoming — the same idea as *decorum*, proper behaviour, and *decent*, which originally meant suitable rather than modest. Getting the decor right and behaving with decorum are, etymologically, the same achievement. The accented spelling *décor* is also correct in English.
- Decorative style. *Minimalist decor.*
- Decorate — to furnish or adorn. *Decorate the hall.*
- Decorum — proper behaviour. *A sense of decorum.*
- Decent — from the same root. *A decent interval.*
- Décor — the accented spelling. *The décor is dated.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | decor | Modern decor. |
| Verb | decorate | Decorate it. |
| Noun | decoration | Christmas decorations. |
| Noun | decorum | Public decorum. |
| Latin | decor | Fittingness, grace. |
- The decor has not changed since 1978.Interiors.
- He behaved with perfect decorum.Behaviour.
- Decent once meant fitting, not modest.Etymology.
The decor family
- Decor — the fitting appearance of a space
- Decorum — the fitting way to behave
- Decent — originally suitable, later respectable
- Decorate — to make fitting and pleasing
- Decoration — also a medal, something fitting to award
French *décor*, from *décorer*, from Latin *decorare*, to adorn, from *decus*, grace or ornament, related to *decere*, to be fitting.
Is it decor or décor?
Both are accepted in English. The accent marks the French origin and is common in design writing.
Are decor and decent related?
Yes. Both descend from Latin decere, to be fitting. Decent meant suitable long before it meant modest.