buxom
buxom Lexical Profile
buxom Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
(Of a woman) plump, healthy-looking, and full-bosomed.
"The portrait depicted a cheerful, buxom tavern keeper holding a tray of pewter mugs."
(Archaic) blithe, lively, jolly, or obedient and compliant.
"In the seventeenth-century poem, the author praises the buxom air and cheerful spirit of the countryside."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern usage, 'buxom' is applied almost exclusively to women to describe a full-bosomed, healthy figure. In older literature (such as Milton), however, it meant 'blithe, lively, or obedient' without any reference to physical body shape.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'buhsum' (meaning 'pliable, compliant, or obliging'), derived from the Old English verb 'bugan' ('to bow or bend') and the suffix '-some'. Its meaning gradually shifted from 'amiable and lively' to 'healthy and plump', and finally to 'full-bosomed'.