Word Origin for pulchritude. C15: from Latin pulchritūdō, from pulcher beautiful. Word Origin and History for pulchritude. "beauty," c.1400, from Latin pulchritudo "beauty; excellence, attractiveness," from pulcher "beautiful," of unknown origin.

"When I was thirteen, my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress."
"[Qualifying contestant question; legalizing marijuana] I'm for it being used for medical use, but not so for recreational use."
"Because I think if people will argue, then what about alcohol and cigarettes?"
"Everything is good, but in moderation."
Catriona Gray, Miss Universe 2018

With its lava colour and appearance, her gown's design was influenced by Mayon Volcano in the northeastern province of Albay, from where her Filipina mother hails, Gray said. (Gemunu Amarasinghe/Associated Press)

"Ms. Gray truly made the entire Philippines proud when she sashayed on the global stage and showcased the genuine qualities defining a Filipina beauty: confidence, grace, intelligence and strength in the face of tough challenges."
"In her success, Miss Philippines has shown to the world that women in our country have the ability to turn dreams into reality through passion, diligence, determination and hard work."
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

The new Miss Universe, Catriona Gray named on Monday in Bangkok, Thailand is of Filipino ancestry on her mother's side. She has an Australian father, and Cairns, Australia, is where she was born and raised. She is an accomplished singer and also a model. Her musical education came through the Berklee College of Music in Boston. So she is rather cosmopolitan, and even so, her attitude toward marijuana legalization reflects that of the president of the Philippines whose mission to battle recreational drugs and the proliferation of drug gangs in his country has been on the brutal side.

Miss Universe 2018: For her national costume, Miss Spain donned a traditional Spanish "bata de cola."

There were beauty contestants representing 94 countries competing for the title of Miss Universe, in Bangkok. Among those contestants was a first, a transgender entrant from Spain, Angela Ponce. That the contest accepted a transgender woman represents a tidal turn of tradition. And as it happens, transgender contestant Angela Ponce's beauty certainly rivals that of the finalists as well as the winner, all born female. Possibly, the world is not yet ready to crown a transgender beauty queen.

Angela Ponce said it was "an honor and pride" to be part of the history of Miss Universe pageant

In the presence of so many beautiful, accomplished women, the judges certainly had their work cut out for them. The crowd that assembled in the Thai capital seemed ecstatic at the choice, crowning a contestant from southeast Asia. As the 67th Miss Universe, 24-year-old Catriona Gray appears a fitting symbol of female accomplishment augmenting beauty. Her red gown, she pointed out, was influenced by the Mayon Volcano in Albay, Philippines. She is the fourth Filipino in the history of the pageant to be crowned.

The contestant from the United States failed spectacularly in an outreach to other contestants, her potential popularity hampered by her mockery of contestants from Cambodia and Vietnam whose English-language skills failed to impress her. Sarah Rose Summers ended up apologizing for her rude manners at a pageant whose theme for 2018 was Empowered Women, judged by seven women including former pageant winners, businesswomen and a fashion designer.

Miss Philippines Catriona Gray is crowned 2018 Miss Universe by outgoing title holder Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters. (CR: Frank Micelotta / FOX)