luscious
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- lushious (obsolete)
Etymology edit
From earlier lushious, lussyouse (“luscious, richly sweet, delicious”), a corruption of lustious, from lusty (“pleasant, delicious”) + -ous. Shakespeare uses both lush (short for lushious) and lusty in the same sense: "How lush and lusty the grass looks" (The Tempest ii. I.52).
An alternative etymology connects luscious to a Middle English term: lucius, an alteration of licious, believed to be a shortening of delicious.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
luscious (comparative more luscious, superlative most luscious)
- Sweet and pleasant; delicious.
- 1863, H.S. Thompson, Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden:
- Her lips were like two luscious beefsteaks.
- 1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M. Hill Co., →OCLC:
- There were lovely patches of greensward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits.
- Sexually appealing; seductive.
- 1749, John Cleland, Memoirs of Fanny Hill: A New and Genuine Edition from the Original Text:
- With one hand he gently disclosed the lips of that luscious mouth of nature.
- Obscene.
- 1749, John Cleland, Memoirs of Fanny Hill: A New and Genuine Edition from the Original Text:
- Hitherto I had been indebted only to the girls of the house for the corruption of my innocence: their luscious talk, in which modesty was far from respected.
Translations edit
sweet and pleasant
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sexually appealing
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