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Originally used in the context of upper class English society, ton meant the state of being fashionable,[1] a fashionable manner or style, or something for the moment in vogue. It could also (generally with the definite article: the ton) mean people of fashion, or fashionable society generally. A variant of the French bon-ton, a now-archaic expression designating good style or breeding, polite, fashionable or high society,[2] or the fashionable world, ton's first recorded use in English was according to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1769. In British English, the word is pronounced as in French /tɒ̃/, with American English favouring the Anglicised pronunciation /tɔn/ or /tɑn/.[3][4]
- ^ "ton", Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1990, Miriam-Webster, p. 1241.
- ^ "bon ton", Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1990, Merriam-Webster Incorporated, p. 167.
- ^ "ton". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 June 2023. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ "bon-ton". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 June 2023. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)