unctuous
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Medieval Latin unctuōsus (“oily”), from Latin unguere, ungere (“to anoint”).
Adjective [edit]
unctuous (comparative more unctuous, superlative most unctuous)
- (of a liquid or fatty substance) Oily or greasy.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, ch. 96:
- In a word, after being tried out, the crisp, shrivelled blubber, now called scraps or fritters, still contains considerable of its unctuous properties.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, ch. 96:
- (of a wine, coffee, etc.) Rich, lush, intense, with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety flavor.
- 1872, Bayard Taylor, Beauty and The Beast; and Tales of Home, ch. 3:
- The halls and passages of the castle were already permeated with rich and unctuous smells, and a delicate nose might have picked out and arranged, by their finer or coarser vapors, the dishes preparing for the upper and lower tables.
- 1872, Bayard Taylor, Beauty and The Beast; and Tales of Home, ch. 3:
- (by extension, of a person) Profusely polite, especially unpleasantly so and insincerely earnest.
- 1919, Stephen Leacock, The Hohenzollerns in America, ch. 8:
- In superior circles, however, introduction becomes more elaborate, more flattering, more unctuous.
- 1919, Stephen Leacock, The Hohenzollerns in America, ch. 8:
Synonyms [edit]
- (of a liquid): oleaginous, saponaceous, slimy
- (of wine, coffee, etc.): savorous
- (profusely, especially unpleasantly, polite): creepy, effusive, groveling, oleaginous, slimy, sycophantic
Derived terms [edit]
Terms derived from unctuous
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
oily or greasy
taste: rich, lush, intense
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External links [edit]
- unctuous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- unctuous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- unctuous at OneLook Dictionary Search
