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poli

polite

adjective poh-LEE Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Personality

Origin: Latin 'politus' (polished)

Also means

polished, smooth

Usage Note

Poli covers both social politeness and physical smoothness (a polished surface), though the social sense dominates in everyday speech. The feminine form is polie; the noun politesse ('politeness') is closely related. The opposite is impoli ('rude'), which French children hear early from parents.

Examples

"Il est toujours très poli avec les clients."

Natural Translation

He is always very polite with customers.

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