buxom

buxom
buxom late 12c., buhsum "humble, obedient," from *buh- stem of O.E. bugen "to bow" + -som, for a total meaning "capable of being bent." Meaning progressed from "compliant, obliging," through "lively, jolly," "healthily plump, vigorous," to (in women, and perhaps influenced by lusty) "plump, comely" (1580s). Du. buigzaam, Ger. biegsam "flexible, pliable" hew closer to the original sense of the English cognate.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Buxom — Bux om, a. [OE. buxum, boxom, buhsum, pliable, obedient, AS. b[=o]csum, b[=u]hsum (akin to D. buigzaam blexible, G. biegsam); b[=u]gan to bow, bend + sum, E. some. See {Bow} to bend, and { some}.] 1. Yielding; pliable or compliant; ready to obey; …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • buxom — [adj] bosomy ample, built, busty, chubby, comely, curvaceous, curvy, fullbosomed, full figured, healthy, hearty, lusty, plump, robust, shapely, stacked*, voluptuous, well made, well proportioned, well rounded, zaftig*; concept 406 Ant. flat,… …   New thesaurus

  • buxom — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ (of a woman) attractively plump and large breasted. ORIGIN originally in the sense «compliant», later «lively and good tempered»: from Old English, «to bend» …   English terms dictionary

  • buxom — [buk′səm] adj. [ME, humble, obedient < base of bouen,BOW1 + som, SOME1] 1. Obs. a) obedient b) flexible; pliant 2. Archaic healthy, comely, plump, jolly, etc …   English World dictionary

  • buxom — adjective /ˈbʌksəm/ a) Having a full, voluptuous figure, especially possessing large breasts. DIED. Robert Brooks, 69, canny businessman who, as chairman of Hooters, turned the bar restaurant chain, famed for buxom waitresses in orange hot pants …   Wiktionary

  • buxom — bux|om [ˈbʌksəm] adj [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: buxom willing to obey, friendly (11 17 centuries), from Old English buhsum, from bugan to bend ] a woman who is buxom is attractively large and healthy and has big breasts …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • buxom — [[t]bʌ̱ksəm[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n If you describe a woman as buxom, you mean that she looks healthy and attractive and has a rounded body and big breasts. Melissa was a tall, buxom blonde …   English dictionary

  • buxom — adjective Etymology: Middle English buxsum, from Old English *būhsum; akin to Old English būgan to bend more at bow Date: 12th century 1. obsolete a. obedient, tractable b. offering little …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • buxom — bux|om [ bʌksəm ] adjective a buxom woman is slightly fat in an attractive way, with large breasts …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • buxom — [12] Originally, buxom meant ‘obedient’. It goes back to an unrecorded *būhsum, which meant literally ‘capable of being bent’, and was formed from the verb būgan ‘bend’, from which modern English gets bow. The sequence by which the word’s present …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

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