Words at Play : Words that Used to Mean Something Different
Original Definition:
marked by obedience
Example:
"[We] adore and worship thy majesty, and tremble at thy judgments and works, and therefore pray always that we may content with thy will, and be buxom and obedient thereto." – Henry Bull, Christian Prayers and Meditations, 1566
About the Word:
Buxom is thought to have come from the Old English word būhsum, which shares a common ancestor with the Old English word būgan (meaning 'to bend').
In addition to its current primary meaning of 'full-bosomed,' buxom has at times in the past been used with such varied meanings as 'physically flexible' and 'full of gaiety.'
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