lavish

English

WOTD – 14 February 2007

Alternative forms

• lavis, laves, lavas (obsolete)

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English *lavish, laves, lavage (“extravagant, wasteful”), perhaps from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French lavasse (“torrent of rain”), or from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English laven (“to pour out”). More at lave.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlævɪʃ/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ævɪʃ

Adjective

lavish (comparative lavisher or more lavish, superlative lavishest or most lavish)

1. Expending or bestowing profusely; profuse; prodigal.

   lavish of money;   lavish of praise

   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 8, in The Celebrity:

     The day was cool and snappy for August, and the Rise all green with a lavish nature. Now we plunged into a deep shade with the boughs lacing each other overhead, and crossed dainty, rustic bridges over the cold trout-streams, the boards giving back the clatter of our horses' feet: […] .

   • Template:RQ:Chrsty Atbgrfy

     Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. There was a great deal of them, lavish both in material and in workmanship.

2. Superabundant; excessive

   lavish spirits

   lavish meal

   • 1623, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure Act 2 Scene 2

     Let her haue needfull, but not lauish meanes

Synonyms

• (expending profusely): profuse, prodigal, wasteful, extravagant, exuberant, immoderate
• See also Thesaurus:prodigal

Related terms

• lavy

Translations

profuse

• Armenian: շռայլ (hy) (šṙayl)
• Bulgarian: обилен (bg) (obilen)
• Finnish: tuhlaavainen, avokätinen (fi)
• Galician: xeneroso m
• German: freigiebig
• Greek: άφθονος (el) m (áfthonos), αφειδής (el) m (afeidís)
• Hungarian: pazar (hu), pazarló (hu), bőséges (hu), dús (hu), (of vegetation) buja (hu)
• Irish: scaoilteach, flaithiúil, flaithiúlach
• Italian: prodigo (it), profuso (it), generoso (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kazakh: береген (beregen)
• Latin: prōfusus
• Maori: tōtōā, whiuwhiu
• Polish: hojny (pl) m
• Russian: ще́дрый (ru) m (ščédryj)
• Spanish: generoso (es), pródigo (es), dadivoso, derrochador (es), exuberante (es)
• Swedish: påkostad (sv)

excessive

• Bulgarian: разточителен (bg) (raztočitelen)
• Finnish: ylenpalttinen (fi)
• Galician: excesivo m
• German: überreich (de)
• Greek: πληθωρικός (el) m (plithorikós), υπεράφθονος (el) m (yperáfthonos)
• Hungarian: túlzott (hu), túláradó (hu), túltengő
• Italian: eccessivo (it), smodato (it), sovrabbondante (it)
• Latin: profūsus
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: tuhene
• Polish: nadmierny (pl) m, obfity (pl) m
• Russian: чрезмерный (ru) m (črezmernyj), неумеренный (ru) m (neumerennyj)
• Spanish: excesivo (es), incontrolado (es), superabundante (es), sobrado (es)
• Swedish: riklig (sv), (colloquial) flådig

Verb

1. (transitive) To give out extremely generously; to squander.

   They lavished money on the dinner.

2. (transitive) To give out to (somebody) extremely generously.

   They lavished him with praise.

Translations

to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander

• Bulgarian: прахосвам (bg) (prahosvam), разхищавам (bg) (razhištavam)
• Finnish: tuhlata (fi), (rahaa) syytää (fi)
• Greek: επιδαψιλεύω (el) (epidapsilévo)
• Hungarian: pazarol (hu), tékozol (hu), szór (hu)
• Italian: prodigare (it), profondere (it), spendere profusamente
• Latin: dīlargior
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: tōtōa
• Polish: obdarowywać (pl)
• Russian: расточать (ru) (rastočatʹ), транжирить (ru) impf (tranžiritʹ)
• Spanish: derrochar (es), despilfarrar (es), prodigar (es)
• Swedish: slösa (sv), överösa (sv)

to give out to (somebody) extremely generously

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Bulgarian: раздавам щедро (razdavam štedro)
• Hungarian: elhalmoz (hu)

Related terms

• lavisher
• lavishly
• lavishness

Anagrams

• Vishal