Lavish
adjectiveSumptuous and extravagant, produced or given in great abundance.
How to spell lavish
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce lavish
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does lavish mean?
- adjectiveSumptuous and extravagant, produced or given in great abundance.
- verbTo give or bestow something in generous or extravagant amounts.
Lavish in a sentence
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adjective
The hotel served a lavish breakfast with more dishes than the guests could finish.
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verb
The grandparents tend to lavish gifts on the children every holiday.
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adjective
The couple spent a fortune on a lavish wedding reception.
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verb
Reviewers continue to lavish praise on the new restaurant.
Where does lavish come from?
Language of origin: French
Lavish entered English in the 1400s from the Old French noun lavasse (also spelled lavache), which meant a deluge or sudden downpour of rain. That French word traced back to the Latin verb lavare, meaning 'to wash', the same root that gives us 'lavatory', 'lavender' and 'laundry'. The original image was of water pouring down in floods, so the idea of overflowing abundance was built into the word from the start. By the time it settled into English it had shifted from literal flooding to the figurative sense of pouring out money, food or praise without restraint. The single 'v' and the plain '-ish' ending make it look simpler than its watery Latin ancestry suggests, which is part of why writers sometimes hesitate over the spelling.
How the word is built
- lav- (from Old French lavasse: a downpour, from Latin lavare 'to wash')
- -ish (adjective/verb ending)
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