I. ˈkwānt adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English queinte, cointe, from Old French cointe expert, elegant, from Latin cognitus, past participle of cognoscere to become acquainted with, know — more at cognition
1. obsolete
a. : marked as cunning, scheming, crafty, artful, or wily
the quaint smooth rogue — Thomas Otway
b. : characterized by knowledge, skill, or learning ; especially : skilled in the use of language
how quaint an orator — Shakespeare
2.
a. : characterized by cleverness or ingenuity : skillfully wrought or artfully contrived
the arming of each joint, in every piece how neat and quaint — Michael Drayton
quaint with many a device in India ink — Herman Melville
set in the close-grained wood were quaint devices — Amy Lowell
b. : marked by beauty or elegance of appearance handsome
a body so fantastic, trim, and quaint in its deportment and attire — William Cowper
the quaint , powerful simplicity which sculptors sometimes had — Nathaniel Hawthorne
c. : marked by ingenuity or refinement of language
a new thought or conceit dressed up in smooth quaint language — Richard Steele
3.
a.
(1) : unusual or different in character or appearance : odd , strange
came forth a quaint and fearful sight — Sir Walter Scott
my stroll was marked … by only one quaint happening — William Beebe
(2) : so unusual or different as to be bizarre, eccentric, or incongruous
the head terminating in the quaint duck bill which gives the animal its vernacular name — Bill Beatty
this horse … with so many quaint points and characteristics — Johnston Forbes-Robertson
b. : uncommon, old-fashioned, or unfamiliar but often agreeable or attractive in character, appearance, or action : picturesque
a vaulted roof supporting a quaint chimney, much admired — Aubrey Drury
dresses with a quaint old-fashioned elegance — Current Biography
a quaint pronunciation of English words that delighted her listeners — C.B.Nordhoff & J.N.Hall
to make our present knowledge seem incomplete and quaint — Alan Gregg
c. : affectedly or artificially unfamiliar, old-fashioned, or picturesque
a tendency to be a little too quaint — Jerome Stone
they appeal to tourists as quaint — C.K.Kluckhohn
the summer folk … left the land to the quaint natives — W.G.O'Donnell
4. obsolete : overly discriminating or needlessly meticulous : fastidious
being too quaint and finical in his expression — Roger L'Estrange
5. : highly incongruous, inappropriate, or illogical : naive , unreasonable — usually used ironically
out of a quaint sense of honesty — Paul Engle
the quaint notion that a speaker should be heard as well as understood — H.F. & Katharine Pringle
quaint notion that it is a writer's business to write — J.K.Hutchens
Synonyms: see strange
II. verb
Etymology: Middle English coynten, quainten, short for acoynten, aquainten to acquaint — more at acquaint
chiefly dialect : acquaint