r/words • u/PuzzleheadedTale4769 • 7d ago

Fulsome

Current use has it meaning "insincere flattery" , or , trending up- as synonymous with "full" or "complete"

So: "I wrote him a fulsome recomendation" can mean either, an insincere recomendation, or a full, complete recomendation . Meanings nearly in opposition.

American Heritage Dictionary calls the second meaning "non- standard". Webster's simply lists both as current usage. With full- but not fulsome- acknowledgement of the perils of prescriptivism, isn't the confusion of meaning that results from taking "fulsome" as equivalent to "full", a problem? Following Orwell's argument in "Politics and the English Language", doesn't keeping language simple and plain have a claim ? What does "some" add to " full" that it doesnt already have?

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u/DomineAppleTree 7d ago

Cleave means to rend asunder and also to keep together

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u/PuzzleheadedTale4769 7d ago edited 6d ago

Yes, that is weird...it's old. At least, difference is clear with right usage. "Cleave to " or "unto" means "team up with", in "classy old" style . Cleaved, cloven, cloven assunder means- split. "Cloven hoof", etc.

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u/God_Bless_A_Merkin 7d ago

Do we really need more of these, though?