the.com/respectability
Morality with better PR and a dress code.
means The state of being considered proper, decent, and socially acceptable by conforming to conventional standards.
from From 'respectable,' built on 'respect' — ultimately from Latin 'respectare,' to look back at or regard, itself from 'specere,' to look. The '-ability' suffix turns the quality into a capacity: not just being looked at well, but being *able* to be regarded well — a word that quietly admits appearance was always part of the deal.
- origin
- from respect, but demands applause too
- test
- what offends no one in power
- cost
- usually paid by whoever is already marginal
- shelf life
- expires the moment it is questioned