FULSOME

adjective Etymology: Middle English fulsom copious, cloying, from full + -som -some Date: 13th century 1. characterized by abundance ; copious , generous in amount, extent, or spirit , being full and well developed , aesthetically, morally, or generally offensive , exceeding the bounds of good taste ; overdone , excessively complimentary or flattering ; effusive , ~ly adverb ~ness noun Usage: The senses shown above are the chief living senses of ~. 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 ~ is ambiguity. Unless the context is made very clear, the reader or hearer cannot be sure whether such an expression as “~ praise” is meant in sense 1b or in sense 4.