exuberant
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin exūberāns, the present active participle of exūberō (“be abundant”). Put together from ex (“out”), and uber (“udder”), and originally would have referred to a cow or she-goat which was making so much milk that it naturally dripped or sprayed from the udder.
Pronunciation[edit]
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Audio (US) (file)
Adjective[edit]
exuberant (comparative more exuberant, superlative most exuberant)
- (of people) Very high-spirited; extremely energetic and enthusiastic.
- 1882, Frank R. Stockton, "The Lady or the Tiger?":
- He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts.
- 1961, Joseph Heller, Catch-22:
- She was a tall, earthy, exuberant girl with long hair and a pretty face.
- 1882, Frank R. Stockton, "The Lady or the Tiger?":
- (of things that grow) Abundant, luxuriant, profuse, superabundant.
- 1972, Ken Lemmon, "Restoration Work at Studley Royal," Garden History, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 22:
- The County Architect's Department is starting to pleach trees to open up these vistas, now almost hidden by the exuberant growth.
- 1972, Ken Lemmon, "Restoration Work at Studley Royal," Garden History, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 22:
Translations[edit]
people very high-spirited
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abundant, luxuriant, profuse, superabundant
References[edit]
- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.
- Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.
Latin[edit]
Verb[edit]
exūberant
- third-person plural present active indicative of exūberō
