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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.
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 ...
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." It morphed again in the 1600s to mean "overgrown, overfed" and ...
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 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.
4 meanings: 1. excessive or insincere, esp in an offensive or distasteful way 2. not standard extremely complimentary 3..... Click for more definitions.
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Dec 12, 2019 · Fulsome, then, etymologically speaking, is “characterized by fullness, or being full.” When it first appeared in the mid-13th century, fulsome usually had a positive connotation. Its primary ...
