Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

luscious

/ˈlʌʃəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.99 in modern English

Syllables: lus-cious
IPA: /ˈlʌʃəs/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Sweet and pleasant; delicious; juicy, succulent.

adj

Sexually appealing; seductive.

adj

Example Sentences

"Her lips were like two luscious beefsteaks."
"There were lovely patches of greensward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits."
"With one hand he gently disclosed the lips of that luscious mouth of nature."
"Hitherto I had been indebted only to the girls of the house for the corruption of my innocence: their luscious talk, in which modesty was far from respected."

Etymology

From earlier lushious, lussyouse (“luscious, richly sweet, delicious”), a corruption of lustious, from lusty (“pleasant, delicious”) + -ous. Shakespeare uses both lush (short for lushious) and lusty in the same sense: "How lush and lusty the grass looks" (The Tempest ii. I.52). An alternative etymology connects luscious to a Middle English term: lucius, an alteration of licious, believed to be a shortening of delicious.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: lusty

Inflected Forms

more luscious (comparative) most luscious (superlative) lushious (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

lusciously lusciousness overluscious

Synonyms

toothsome ambrosial appetizing dainty delectable delicious delish exquisite finger-lickin' good flavorful flavorous flavorsome

Questions

How do you pronounce luscious?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlʌʃəs/.
What does luscious mean?: Sweet and pleasant; delicious; juicy, succulent.
Where does luscious come from?: From earlier lushious, lussyouse (“luscious, richly sweet, delicious”), a corruption of lustious, from lusty (“pleasant, delicious”) + -ous. Shakespeare uses both lush (short for lushious) and lusty in the same sense: "How lush and lusty the grass looks" (The Tempest ii. I.52). An alternative etymology connects luscious to a Middle English term: lucius, an alteration of licious, believed to be a shortening of delicious.

How to pronounce luscious

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “luscious”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlʌʃəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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