# decent
## English
### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle French décent, or its source, Latin decēns, present participle of decet (“it is fitting or suitable”), from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- (“to take, accept, to receive, greet, be suitable”) (compare Ancient Greek δοκέω (dokéō, “I appear, seem, think”), δέχομαι (dékhomai, “I accept”); Sanskrit दशस्यति (daśasyáti, “shows honor, is gracious”), दाशति (dāśati, “makes offerings, bestows”)). Meaning ‘kind, pleasant’ is from 1902.

#### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˈdiːsənt/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -iːsənt

#### Adjective

decent (comparative more decent, superlative most decent)
* Appropriate; suitable for the circumstances.
* (of a person) Having a suitable conformity to basic moral standards; showing integrity, fairness, or other characteristics associated with moral uprightness.
* (informal) Sufficiently clothed or dressed to be seen.
    Are you decent? May I come in?
* Fair; acceptable; okay.
    He's a decent saxophonist, but probably not good enough to make a career of it.
** 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe.
** [1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section II, page 24:And ‘blubbing’ . . . Blubbing went out with ‘decent’ and ‘ripping’. Mind you, not a bad new language to start up. 1920s schoolboy slang could be due for a revival.]
** 2021 June 30, Philip Haigh, “Regional trains squeezed as ECML congestion heads north”, in RAIL, number 934, page 53:I'm all for opening new stations (Transport Scotland is planning another at East Linton, about halfway between Drem and Dunbar), but they are useless without a decent service.
* Significant; substantial.
    There are a decent number of references out there, if you can find them.
* Conforming to perceived standards of good taste.
** 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 201:I had a cup of tea - the last decent cup of tea for many days; and in a room that most soothingly looked just as you would expect a lady’s drawing-room to look, we had a long quiet chat by the fireside.
* (obsolete) Comely; shapely; well-formed.
** a. 1645, John Milton, “Il Penseroso”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, page 38:And ſable ſtole of Cipres Lawn, Over thy decent ſhoulders drawn.

##### Usage notes

* This term has a mildly positive connotation.

##### Synonyms

* (conforming suitably to moral standards): good, moral
* (good enough): See Thesaurus:satisfactory

##### Antonyms

* (antonym(s) of “conforming suitably to moral standards”): bad, immoral
* (antonym(s) of “sufficiently clothed”): indecent, underdressed
* (antonym(s) of “good enough”): inadequate, poor, unsatisfactory

##### Derived terms

* decentish
* decentness
* do the decent thing
* half-decent
* halfway decent
* jolly D
* semidecent
* undecent

##### Related terms

* decency
* decently

##### Translations
#### References

* “decent”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

decent (usually uncountable, plural decents)
* Misspelling of descent.

### Anagrams

* cedent

## Friulian
### Etymology

From Latin decens.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /deˈt͡ʃent/

### Adjective

decent
* decent

## Latin
### Verb

decent
* third-person plural present active indicative of decet

## Occitan
### Etymology

From Latin decens.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

### Adjective

decent m (feminine singular decenta, masculine plural decents, feminine plural decentas)
* decent

#### Derived terms

* decentament

#### Related terms

* decéncia

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from French décent, from Latin decens.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /deˈt͡ʃent/

### Adjective

decent m or n (feminine singular decentă, masculine plural decenți, feminine and neuter plural decente)
* decent

#### Declension
### Further reading

* decent in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)