Main Entry: 1fash·ion
Pronunciation: \ˈfa-shən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English facioun, fasoun shape, manner, from Anglo-French façun, fauschoun, from Latin faction-, factio act of making, faction, from facere to make — more at do
Date: 14th century
1 a : the make or form of something b archaic : kind, sort
2 a : a distinctive or peculiar and often habitual manner or way <he will, after his sour fashion, tell you — Shakespeare> b : mode of action or operation <assembled in an orderly fashion>
3 a : a prevailing custom, usage, or style b (1) : the prevailing style (as in dress) during a particular time (2) : a garment in such a style <always wears the latest fashions> c : social standing or prominence especially as signalized by dress or conduct <men and women of fashion>
— after a fashion : in an approximate or rough way <became an artist after a fashion>
synonyms fashion, style, mode, vogue, fad, rage, craze mean the usage accepted by those who want to be up-to-date. fashion is the most general term and applies to any way of dressing, behaving, writing, or performing that is favored at any one time or place <the current fashion>. style often implies a distinctive fashion adopted by people of taste <a media baron used to traveling in style>. mode suggests the fashion of the moment among those anxious to appear elegant and sophisticated <slim bodies are the mode at this resort>. vogue stresses the wide acceptance of a fashion <short skirts are back in vogue>. fad suggests caprice in taking up or in dropping a fashion <last year's fad is over>. rage and craze stress intense enthusiasm in adopting a fad <Cajun food was the rage nearly everywhere for a time> <crossword puzzles once seemed just a passing craze but have lasted>

Main Entry: 1style
Pronunciation: \ˈstī(-ə)l\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English stile, style, from Latin stilus spike, stem, stylus, style of writing; perhaps akin to Latin instigare to goad — more at stick
Date: 14th century
1 : designation, title
2 a : a distinctive manner of expression (as in writing or speech) <writes with more attention to style than to content> <the flowery style of 18th century prose> b : a distinctive manner or custom of behaving or conducting oneself <the formal style of the court> <his style is abrasive>; also : a particular mode of living <in high style> c : a particular manner or technique by which something is done, created, or performed <a unique style of horseback riding> <the classical style of dance>
3 a : stylus b : gnomon 1b c : the filiform usually elongated part of the pistil bearing a stigma at its apex — see flower illustration illustration d : a slender elongated process (as a bristle) on an animal
4 : a distinctive quality, form, or type of something <a new dress style> <the Greek style of architecture>
5 a : the state of being popular : fashion <clothes that are always in style> b : fashionable elegance c : beauty, grace, or ease of manner or technique <an awkward moment she handled with style>
6 : a convention with respect to spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and typographic arrangement and display followed in writing or printing
synonyms see fashion