婀娜

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

婀娜

1. (literary, of a woman) lithe and graceful

From Middle Chinese 婀娜 (MC 'aX naX).

• (Tokyo) あだ (Heiban – )^[1]
• IPA^(key):

婀(あ)娜(だ) • (ada) -na (adnominal 婀(あ)娜(だ)な (ada na), adverbial 婀(あ)娜(だ)に (ada ni))

1. (archaic) lithe and graceful
   • 905–914, Kokin Wakashū (book 10, poem 436)

     我(われ)はけさうひにぞ見(み)つる花(はな)の色(いろ)をあだなる物(もの)といふべかりけり

     ware wa kesa ui ni zo mitsuru hana no iro o ada naru mono to iu bekarikeri

     I, in the first seeing this morning, describe the flower's color as indeed lithe and graceful.

     this morning”) is a play on 薔薇 (sōbi, “rose”).]

2. (of a woman) amorous, sexy
3. (by extension) stylish, sophisticated

婀(あ)娜(だ) • (ada) ^†-tari (adnominal 婀(あ)娜(だ)とした (ada to shita) or 婀(あ)娜(だ)たる (ada taru), adverbial 婀(あ)娜(だ)と (ada to) or 婀(あ)娜(だ)として (ada to shite))

1. (literary archaic) Same as above
   • 1942, Atsushi Nakajima, Gojō Shusse , text here

     すでに五(ご)百(ひゃく)余(よ)歳(さい)を経(へ)ている女(ぢよ)怪(かい)だったが、肌(はだ)のしなやかさは少(すこ)しも処(しよ)女(ぢよ)と異(こと)なるところがなく、婀娜(あだ)たるその姿(し)態(たい)は能(よ)く鉄(てつ)石(せき)の心(こころ)をも蕩(とろ)かすといわれていた。

     Sude ni gohyaku-yo-sai o heteiru jokai datta ga, hada no shinayakasa wa sukoshi mo shojo to kotonaru tokoro ga naku, ada taru sono shitai wa yoku tesseki no kokoro o mo torokasu to iwareteita.

     Five hundred years too late the female apparition has passed on, her once graceful skin still young as a virgin and her well-amorous form caused to melt by the iron will in her heart.