commodious

English

WOTD – 15 June 2007

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman commodious, and its source, Renaissance Latin commodiosus, irregularly from Latin commodus.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kəˈməʊdɪəs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kəˈmoʊdi.əs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊdiəs

Adjective

commodious (comparative more commodious, superlative most commodious)

1. (obsolete) Advantageous; profitable. [15th–20th c.]
   • 1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt 2008, p. 9:

     A little after Zeluco came of age, the aunt fixed her eyes on him as a commodious match for her niece.

2. Comfortable, free from hardship. [from 16th c.]
3. Spacious and convenient; roomy and comfortable. [from 16th c.]

   Synonyms: convenient, comfortable, spacious

   Our house is much more commodious than our old apartment.

   • 1854, Charles Dickens, “The One Thing Needful”, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], OCLC 4389957, book the first (Sowing), page 3:

     The emphasis was helped by the speaker's square wall of a forehead, which had his eyebrows for its base, while his eyes found commodious cellarage in two dark caves, overshadowed by the wall.

4. Convenient, useful; serviceable. [from 16th c.]

   Synonyms: advantageous, fit, proper, serviceable, suitable, useful

Derived terms

• commodiously

Translations

spacious and convenient

• Bulgarian: широк (bg) (širok), просторен (bg) (prostoren)
• Latin: commodus

adapted to its use or purpose

• Bulgarian: удобен (bg) (udoben)
• Latin: commodus

References

• commodious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.