What is the Latin word for elegant?

The usual Latin words for “elegant” are ēlegāns, urbānus, lavō; also concinnus, bellus, cōmō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“elegant” in Latin

ēlegānsfine, elegant, handsome; tasteful; fastidious, critical urbānusof or belonging to a city; urban; fond of, or devoted to cities; cultivated, sophisticated, polished, refined lavōto wash, bathe; to wet, moisten concinnusneat, elegant, clever; pretty, pleasing bellusbeautiful, pretty, handsome; pleasant, agreeable, charming cōmōto bring together, form, frame, construct, arrange; to take care of, care for; comb, dress; braid; to adorn, deck, dress compōnōto arrange, compile, compose, make up, organize, order; to construct, build; to pacify, allay, settle, calm, appease, qu recondōto put away, stow away, hoard; to hide or conceal exquīrōto seek or seek out, search for or hunt up; to inquire into vincōto win; to conquer, to defeat, to vanquish; to overpower

The English word elegant itself goes back to Latin legō, through ēlegāns.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

elegant

elegans: urbanus (polite, polished): lautus (litterally, washed; hence purified from all that is mean or unbecoming; especially of mode of living, furniture, banquets, etc.). (The words are found in this connection and order.) lautus et elegans (e.g., victus): concinnus (suitably and artistically arranged, with reference to symmetry, etc., of the countenance, language, etc.). (The words are found in this connection and order.) concinnus et elegans (Cic.; of a person): bellus (pretty, etc.; of what in form, manner of action, etc., borders on the beautiful; of things and persons): comptus (ornamented; of language and orators). (The words are found in this connection and order.) nitidus et comtus. compositus (well put together; e.g., litterae; then, also, of orators and oratory). Elegant litterature or learning, litterae interiores, reconditae, exquisitae (litterae elegantes not found). ☞ Of style, elegans relates not to rhetorical ornaments, etc., but to selectness in the choice and use of words, as marking refined taste.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for elegant?: The usual Latin words for “elegant” are ēlegāns, urbānus, lavō; also concinnus, bellus, cōmō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.