ful·some
adjective \ˈfu̇l-səm\
: expressing something (such as praise or thanks) in a very enthusiastic or emotional way
Usage Discussion of FULSOME
The senses shown above are the chief living senses of fulsome. Sense 2, which was a generalized term of disparagement in the late 17th century, is the least common of these. Fulsome
became a point of dispute when sense 1, thought to be obsolete in the
19th century, began to be revived in the 20th. The dispute was
exacerbated by the fact that the large dictionaries of the first half of
the century missed the beginnings of the revival. Sense 1 has not only
been revived but has spread in its application and continues to do so.
The chief danger for the user of fulsome is ambiguity. Unless the context is made very clear, the reader or hearer cannot be sure whether such an expression as “fulsome praise” is meant in sense 1b or in sense 4.
No comments:
Post a Comment