buxom

[ buhk-suh m ]

/ ˈbʌk səm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR buxom ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

(of a woman) full-bosomed.

(of a woman) healthy, plump, cheerful, and lively.

Nearby words

Origin of buxom

1125–75; Middle English, earlier buhsum pliant, equivalent to Old English būh (variant stem of būgan to bow¹) + -sum -some¹

Related formsbux·om·ly, adverbbux·om·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for buxom

Virtual Kim swans in every so often to dish out advice like a buxom fairy godmother.
Inside ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood’: The Reality Star’s Aspirational App and Vainest Project Yet|Frances McInnis|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was also a buxom beauty, a kind of nineteenth century bombshell who loved to flirt.
Lincoln in Love|Jerome Charyn|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sub-text: “The picture editor wants to see me dressed up like a buxom serving wench.”
Text And Sub-Text: Breaking The Secret Pippa Code|Tom Sykes|October 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At one point, she almost lost out to buxom blond Natasha Henstridge.
What’s Behind Hollywood’s Asian Flirtation? China’s Box Office|Marlow Stern|August 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But to some, the idea of a 6-year-old lending her image to a brand famous for provocative spreads and buxom models is inexcusable.
Too Young to Model: Anna Nicole Smith’s 6-Year-Old Modeling Spawn|Anna Klassen|November 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Antony muttered, and then glared angrily at 10 the spot the buxom gentleman had quitted.
An Idyll of All Fools' Day|Josephine Daskam Bacon
A tall thin lad and a buxom girl went into a cheap apartment building laughing gaily to themselves, and Roger thought of Laura.
His Family|Ernest Poole
But her aunt was a fair picture of a ship-master's widow; solid, comfortable and buxom.
Jack Tier or The Florida Reef|James Fenimore Cooper
The housekeeper, a buxom woman of fifty years, flushed and giggled alternately.
Kastle Krags|Absalom Martin
A buxom, tow-headed girl comes clattering into the courtyard, draws a pail of water and moves sinuously out.
The Wasted Generation|Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for buxom

buxom

/ (ˈbʌksəm) /

adjective

(esp of a woman) healthily plump, attractive, and vigorous

(of a woman) full-bosomed

Derived Formsbuxomly, adverbbuxomness, noun

Word Origin for buxom

C12: buhsum compliant, pliant, from Old English būgan to bend, bow 1; related to Middle Dutch būchsam pliant, German biegsam

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for buxom

buxom

adj.

late 12c., buhsum "humble, obedient," from Proto-Germanic *buh- stem of Old English bugen "to bow" (see bow (v.)) + -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). Used often of breasts, and by 1950s it had begun to be used more narrowly for "bosomy" and could be paired with slim (adj.). Dutch buigzaam, German biegsam "flexible, pliable" hew closer to the original sense of the English cognate.

buxom

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of buxom

Examples from the Web for buxom

British Dictionary definitions for buxom

buxom

adjective

Word Origin for buxom

Word Origin and History for buxom

buxom