Word
luscious
Phoneticslus·cious
US/ˈɫəʃɪs/
UK/lˈʌʃəs/
Definitions
01delicious and juicy
adj. having a delicious, sweet, and juicy taste.
adj. highly pleasing to the sense of taste; characterized by richness, sweetness, and a succulent texture.
“The garden was full of luscious peaches that were ready to be picked.”
“The dessert was a luscious combination of dark chocolate and ripe raspberries, balanced perfectly to avoid being overly sweet.”
02rich and attractive
adj. looking very thick, healthy, and attractive to the eyes.
adj. appealing to the senses through richness or abundance; often used to describe hair, fabrics, or landscapes.
“The actress was famous for her luscious, long red hair.”
“The hotel was surrounded by luscious green hills that stayed vibrant even during the height of the summer heat.”
03sexually attractive
adj. looking very sexually attractive or beautiful.
adj. possessing strong sexual appeal; seductive in physical appearance.
“The magazine featured a luscious model on the front cover.”
“The marketing campaign relied on luscious imagery to sell the new fragrance, associating the scent with physical desire and luxury.”
Informal
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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