zaftig
Americanadjective
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(of a woman) having a pleasantly plump figure.
-
full-bodied; well-proportioned.
Etymology
Origin of zaftig
First recorded in 1935–40; from Yiddish zaftik, literally, “juicy, succulent”; compare Middle High German saftec, derivative of saf(t), Old High German saf ( German Saft ) “juice, sap”; see sap 1,
Explanation
Use the adjective zaftig to describe a woman who is attractively curvy. The word zaftig is almost always used to describe a voluptuous body. You might admire a particularly zaftig sculpture of Venus in a museum of classical antiquities, for example. The word comes from the Yiddish zaftik, which literally means "juicy," from zaft, or "juice," and it became a common English adjective in the 1930s.
Vocabulary lists containing zaftig
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Especially commendable is Zamit, who in addition to Mrs. Darling and the housekeeper, plays a Tinkerbell too zaftig to fly, among other roles.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2023
She called her magnified, zaftig alter ego The Bunch.
From New York Times • Dec. 3, 2022
Now a Guggenheim fellow, Machado was once conditioned to accept that zaftig women are undeserving of worship.
From Washington Post • Nov. 4, 2019
Having recently hit 221.2 on the scale, I’m no longer forgivably chubby or husky, zaftig or big-boned.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2015
Grandpa Izzy says that Margaret is zaftig, which is Yiddish for pleasingly plump.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
