lush1

[luhsh] /lʌʃ/
adjective, lusher, lushest.
1.
(of vegetation, plants, grasses, etc.) luxuriant; succulent; tender and juicy.
2.
characterized by luxuriant vegetation:
a lush valley.
3.
characterized by luxuriousness, opulence, etc.:
the lush surroundings of his home.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English lusch slack; akin to Old English lysu bad, lēas lax, Middle Low German lasch slack, Old Norse lǫskr weak, Gothic lasiws weak
Related forms
lushly, adverb
lushness, noun
Synonyms
1. luxurious, fresh.
Antonyms
1. withered, stale.

lush2

[luhsh] /lʌʃ/
noun
1.
drunkard; alcoholic; sot.
2.
intoxicating liquor.
verb (used without object)
3.
to drink liquor.
verb (used with object)
4.
to drink (liquor).
Origin
1780-90; perhaps facetious application of lush1
Examples from the web for lush
  • The countryside is lush, with rolling hills, and tea bushes nestled under verdant green trees.
  • The campus has a pastoral feel with limestone buildings and lush trees in full bloom.
  • Nor does it explain the lush aroma that hits your nose as you sip.
  • There are lush green ferns, complex undergrowth and stunning waterfalls.
  • It is stunningly illustrated with computer generated dinosaurs blended into photographs of lush backgrounds.
  • Neat rows of headstones appear along well-maintained lawns and lush landscaping.
  • But its clan-based villages, lush jungles, and rocky inlets offered ideal shelter for smugglers and secret societies to flourish.
  • On the hilltop a lush forest canopy shades a patch of coffee.
  • The trimmed marigold tastes much milder than the flower smells, of a lush tropical garden, herbaceous and pleasantly bitter.
  • We entered a lush garden of fruit trees and flowering bushes.
British Dictionary definitions for lush

lush1

/lʌʃ/
adjective
1.
(of vegetation) abounding in lavish growth
2.
(esp of fruits) succulent and fleshy
3.
luxurious, elaborate, or opulent
Derived Forms
lushly, adverb
lushness, noun
Word Origin
C15: probably from Old French lasche lax, lazy, from Latin laxus loose; perhaps related to Old English lǣc, Old Norse lakr weak, German lasch loose

lush2

/lʌʃ/
noun
1.
a heavy drinker, esp an alcoholic
2.
alcoholic drink
verb
3.
(US & Canadian) to drink (alcohol) to excess
Word Origin
C19: origin unknown
Word Origin and History for lush
adj.

mid-15c., "lax, flaccid, soft, tender," from Old French lasche "soft, succulent," from laschier "loosen," from Late Latin laxicare "become shaky," related to Latin laxare "loosen," from laxus "loose" (see lax). Sense of "luxuriant in growth" is first attested c.1600, in Shakespeare. Applied to colors since 1744. Related: Lushly; lushness.

n.

"drunkard," 1890, from earlier (1790) slang meaning "liquor" (especially in phrase lush ken "alehouse"); perhaps a humorous use of lush (adj.) or from Romany or Shelta (tinkers' jargon).

LUSHEY. Drunk. The rolling kiddeys had a spree, and got bloody lushey; the dashing lads went on a party of pleasure, and got very drunk. ["Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence," London, 1811]

Slang definitions & phrases for lush

lush

noun

A drunkard; an alcoholic; dipso: She is still plastered, the little lush/ The father was by no means a lush, but the son carried temperance to an extreme (1890+)

verb

: lushing, stowing wine into our faces

[origin unknown; probably related to lush, ''liquor, booze,'' which is found by 1790 and may be fr Romany or Sehlta (tinkers' jargon)]