I. ˈləsh adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English lusch lax, soft, tender, probably alteration of lasche soft, watery, from Middle French, lax, slack, indolent — more at laches
1.
a. : vigorously growing : producing an abundance of juicy green foliage : succulent , luxuriant
lush grass
lush crops flourished in the rich virgin soil — L.H.Beck
a lush and flowery growth of sky-blue delphinium — Louis Bromfield
b. : characterized by or capable of supporting flourishing vegetation : green , fertile
a country of lush pastures and frequent rain — Henry Williamson
gray cliffs lush with tropical verdure — David Fairchild
lush land where farm ground sells at top prices — G.P.Musselman
2.
a. : displaying sturdy vigor or intensity : lusty , thriving
the lush growth of bureaucracy in … collective farms — John Fischer
the lush idealism of the prewar period — F.B.Millett
pictures of lush organic communities — R.E.Coker
b. : characterized by abundance : generous , plentiful
lush appropriations
lush campaign contributions — Fulton Lewis
an increasingly lush supply of aids and suggestions — V.M.Rogers
c. : characterized by or offering great financial gain : prosperous , profitable
the lush profit level of the war years — Gardner Jackson
able-bodied men … hired away by the lush war industries — R.E.Outman
firms might lose out on lush contracts — Wall Street Journal
3. : luscious: as
a. : aromatic , savory , delicious
a perfume that smells fruity and lush — New Yorker
made a lush lattice-topped pie — Myrl C. Boyle
b. : appealing to the senses : sensuous
this pleasant morning … lush with summer languor — Ben Hecht
using full, lush orchestras for his accompaniments — Metronome Yearbook
the cop's nasty voice … turned lush with respect — David Driscoll
specifically : voluptuous
a lush blonde with honey-colored hair — S.J.Perelman
c. : richly ornate : luxurious , opulent , sumptuous
stayed at the Waldorf and had a lush time — Frances Crane
cars of lush design — Alan Moorehead
business and industrial worlds provide equally lush salaries — Jeanne K. Beaty
lush , imaginative descriptions of the pageantry in the daily life of the Vatican — Richard McLaughlin
especially : excessively ornate
a restrained realism which makes other passages seem lush — Richard Plant
lush overelaboration and rampant colorism — Wilder Hobson
sincere and moving despite their lush sentimentality — Musical Digest
Synonyms: see profuse
II. noun
( -es )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. slang : intoxicating liquor : drink
a good fellow that loveth his lush — Charles Lever
2. : an habitual heavy drinker : drunkard , alcoholic
a lazy lush with an inordinate appetite for alcohol — Henry Von Rhau
it becomes the policeman's lot to drive the lushes home — A.C.Spectorsky
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
intransitive verb
slang : to indulge in liquor : drink — often used with up
lushing up on some autumnal nut-brown ale — Douglass Wallop
transitive verb
1. slang : to drink up (liquor)
shouldn't lush champagne on an empty stomach — D.G.Gerahty
— often used with up
2. slang : to ply with liquor — often used with up
lush themselves up with dry martinis and large whiskeys — Blackwood's