beauty (byoo-tee) n. pl. beauties The quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality. One that is beautiful, especially a beautiful woman. A quality or feature that is most effective, gratifying, or telling: The beauty of the venture is that we stand to lose nothing. An outstanding or conspicuous example: Hammett's gun went off. The shot was a beauty, just slightly behind the eyes (Lillian Hellman). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Middle English beaute, from Old French biaute, from Vulgar Latin *bellits, from Latin bellus, pretty. See deu-2 in Indo-European Roots.]