Search results
The result is that fulsome is now used with positive or neutral connotations at least as often as with negative connotations, but many people consider the “copious” meaning to be an error, even though it is the etymologically purest use of the word.
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.
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 .
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. By the mid-1300s, it had come to mean "plump, well-fed."
The meaning of FULSOME is characterized by abundance : copious. How to use fulsome in a sentence. You Don't Need to Get Negative About Fulsome Using Fulsome: Usage Guide.
Nov 3, 2014 · Nearly all of those negative senses, the OED says, are now considered obsolete. The dictionary says the adjective “fulsome” is “now chiefly used in reference to gross or excessive flattery, over-demonstrative affection, or the like.”
Jul 3, 2024 · The negative sense "offensive, gross; disgusting, sickening" developed secondarily after the 13th century and was influenced by Middle English foul (“ foul ”). [1] In the 18th century, the word was sometimes even spelled foulsome .
People also ask
Is fulsome a negative etymology?
Where did the word fulsome come from?
Is “fulsome” an informal word?
Why is fulsome a Troublesome Word?
Is fulsome a negative connotation?
Is “foulsome” a bad word?
