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The word has both positive and negative meanings, so context is key. Fulsome is a troublesome word. And it's also a word that represents the rare case in which dictionaries have made the word’s meaning more confusing rather than more clear. Fulsome seems like an emphatic way of saying “full” or “complete,” and indeed in its oldest use ...
Via the sense of "causing nausea" it came to be used of language, "offensive to taste or good manners" (early 15c.); especially "excessively flattering" (1660s). Since the 1960s, however, it commonly has been used in its original, favorable sense, especially in fulsome praise. Related: Fulsomely; fulsomeness.
The earliest known use of the word fulsome is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for fulsome is from before 1325, in Genesis & Exodus. fulsome is formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: full adj., ‑some suffix1.
Mar 20, 2018 · Fulsome – Richmond Writing. Word of the Week! Fulsome. This word has bothered me for many years. It provides a good example of Edward Sapir’s theory of Linguistic Drift, and I warn writers to take care when using this intellectual-sounding adjective. It has drifted from a positive sense to a negative one and back to positive again!
The adjective fulsome can be defined as "unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech." Historically, it has also meant "disgusting or offensive," or "copious or abundant." Fulsome dates to the 1200s, when its components (ful + som) gave it the meaning "abundant, full," says the Online Etymology Dictionary.
Jul 3, 2024 · fulsome (comparative fulsomer, superlative fulsomest) Offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive. [T]he Weather exceeding hot, I entreated him to let me bathe in a River that was near. He conſented, and I immediately ſtripped myſelf ſtark naked, and went down ſoftly into the ſtream.
offensive to good taste, esp. as being excessive; overdone or gross. fulsome praise that embarrassed her deeply. fulsome décor. 2. disgusting; sickening; repulsive. a table heaped with fulsome mounds of greasy foods. 3. excessively or insincerely lavish. fulsome admiration.
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