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lush1

[luhsh]
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adjective, lush·er, lush·est.
  1. (of vegetation, plants, grasses, etc.) luxuriant; succulent; tender and juicy.
  2. characterized by luxuriant vegetation: a lush valley.
  3. characterized by luxuriousness, opulence, etc.: the lush surroundings of his home.
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Origin of lush1

1400–50; late Middle English lusch slack; akin to Old English lysu bad, lēas lax, Middle Low German lasch slack, Old Norse lǫskr weak, Gothic lasiws weak
Related formslush·ly, adverblush·ness, noun

Synonyms

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1. luxurious, fresh.

Antonyms

1. withered, stale.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lushly

Historical Examples

  • Everything was so lushly wet that moss grew green even on tree trunks and roofs.

    Across the Fruited Plain

    Florence Crannell Means

British Dictionary definitions for lushly

lush1

adjective
  1. (of vegetation) abounding in lavish growth
  2. (esp of fruits) succulent and fleshy
  3. luxurious, elaborate, or opulent
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Derived Formslushly, adverblushness, noun

Word Origin

C15: probably from Old French lasche lax, lazy, from Latin laxus loose; perhaps related to Old English lǣc, Old Norse lakr weak, German lasch loose

lush2

noun
  1. a heavy drinker, esp an alcoholic
  2. alcoholic drink
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verb
  1. US and Canadian to drink (alcohol) to excess
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Word Origin

C19: origin unknown
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 lushly

lush

adj.

mid-15c., "lax, flaccid, soft, tender," from Old French lasche "soft, succulent," from laschier "loosen," from Late Latin laxicare "become shaky," related to Latin laxare "loosen," from laxus "loose" (see lax). Sense of "luxuriant in growth" is first attested c.1600, in Shakespeare. Applied to colors since 1744. Related: Lushly; lushness.

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lush

n.

"drunkard," 1890, from earlier (1790) slang meaning "liquor" (especially in phrase lush ken "alehouse"); perhaps a humorous use of lush (adj.) or from Romany or Shelta (tinkers' jargon).

LUSHEY. Drunk. The rolling kiddeys had a spree, and got bloody lushey; the dashing lads went on a party of pleasure, and got very drunk. ["Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence," London, 1811]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper