Etymologically
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buxom

Etymology and origin of the English word buxom

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Formation
Inherited
Inherited from
Old English *būhsum via Middle English

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbʌksəm/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English buxsum (“obedient”),[2][3] inherited from Old English *būhsum,[2][3] built on the stem of Old English būgan (“to bend, bow”) and the suffix -some.[4][5][6] Etymologically it means “able to be bent”.[5] Dutch buigzaam and German biegsam “flexible” are cognates that keep the original sense.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Obedient, compliant, easily led (late 12th century).[7][5][4]

Semantic evolution

The meaning moved from “compliant, obliging” to “gracious, indulgent” (1362), then to “lively, jolly” (1590), and to “plump, healthy and comely” (1589).[7][5][4] Samuel Johnson's dictionary (1755) still gave “obedient” as the main sense.[5] The word was used especially of women's figures from at least the 1870s, and by the 1950s it was often used more narrowly to mean “full-bosomed”.[5]

Timeline

  • about 1175 – obedient, pliant (obsolete).[7][5]
  • before 1300 – submissive, humble (obsolete).[7]
  • 1362 – gracious, obliging (obsolete).[7][4]
  • 1589 – plump, healthy and comely.[7][4]
  • 1590 – blithe, lively, gay (archaic).[7]
  • 1596 – physically flexible, yielding (obsolete).[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Healthily plump and full-figured, especially full-bosomed.
  2. (archaic) Lively and cheerful.
  3. (obsolete) Obedient or pliant.

Word family

  • buxomly
  • buxomness
  • bow

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Buxom.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/buxom. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·