Dictionary

lavish en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈlævɪʃ/
• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From Middle English laves, lavas, lavage (“extravagant, wasteful, prodigal”), from lavas (“excessive abundance”), from Old French lavasse, lavache (“torrent of rain”); possibly later conflated in some senses by Middle English laven (“to pour out”), equivalent to lave + -ish. Compare Scots lawage, lavisch, lavish (“unrestrained, excessively prodigal, extravagant”). Compare also English lavy (“lavish, liberal”), Dutch lafenis (“lavishness”).

Meanings

1. Expending or bestowing profusely; profuse; prodigal.
   • lavish of money; lavish of praise
   • 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:[…]. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
   • Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. There was a great deal of them, lavish both in material and in workmanship. 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN:
2. Superabundant; excessive.
   • lavish meal
   • Let her haue needfull, but not lauish meanes c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
   • Max Chafkin, Thiel's biographer, describes Vance as his "extension", while Cadwalladr describes Vance, somewhat impolitely, as "Thiel's creature… a man Thiel moulded in his own image through lavish investments in his business and political careers". 2024 August 14, Bryn Haworth, “Artificial Ignorance: broligarchs and their brains should read Gulliver”, in Al Majalla, archived from the original on 11 Sep 2024:
   • lavish spirits
   • The accommodation for passengers was designed on a rather lavish scale, as it was expected that extensive housing development would take place in the vicinity. These hopes were not realised, however, and, apart from the school buildings, the surroundings of the station have never lost their rusticity. 1953 February, H. A. Vallance, “To Brighton through the Shoreham Gap”, in Railway Magazine, page 81:
3. (obsolete) Unrestrained, impetuous.
   • Thou wilt repent theſe lauiſh words of thine c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:
4. (dialectal) Rank or lush with vegetation.
   • […] Thro’ lands where not a leaf was dumb; ⁠But all the lavish hills would hum The murmur of a happy Pan: […] 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 39:

Forms

Relateds

lavy

Synonyms

profligate · impulsive · spendthrift · expansive · improvident · wanton · reckless · undue · wasteful · imprudent · nimious · unrestrained · bosky · lavish · prodigal · intemperate · excessive · prodigal · extravagant · squandering · verdant · extravagant · devilish · virid · overweening · verdant · wasteful · de trop · lush · bosky · verdurous · opulent · immoderate · immoderate · viridescent · lavish · horrendous · unthrifty · loose-handed · hasty · uneconomical · over the top · lavish · extravagant · extreme · unrestrained · profuse · exuberant · verdured · immoderate · spontaneous · rash · unmeasured · obscene · unreasonable · overmuch · greenly

Translations (81)

hu túláradó (excessive) · hu bőséges (profuse) · es opíparo (profuse) · es sobrante (excessive) · de überreich (excessive) · es pantagruélico (profuse) · hu pazarló (profuse) · pt perdulário (profuse) · gl xeneroso (profuse) · es fastuoso (profuse) · fi tuhlaavainen (profuse) · fr prodigue (profuse) · es sobrado (excessive) · el υπεράφθονος (excessive) · ro extravagant (profuse) · hu túlzott (excessive) · mk о́билен (profuse) · it prodigo (profuse) · es agasajador (profuse) · it smodato (excessive) · tr abartılı (excessive) · el άφθονος (profuse) · es patagüino (excessive) · sv riklig (excessive) · el αφειδής (profuse) · kk береген (profuse) · fr abondant (profuse) · mi tuhene (excessive) · pt pródigo (profuse) · it sovrabbondante (excessive) · es manilargo (profuse) · es desmesurado (excessive) · fi ylenpalttinen (excessive) · pt profuso (profuse) · ru неумеренный (excessive) · pt dissipador (profuse) · hu pazar (profuse) · ga scaoilteach (profuse) · it eccessivo (excessive) · pl hojny (profuse) · es pródigo (profuse) · sv påkostad (profuse) · fi avokätinen (profuse) · ru чрезмерный (excessive) · hu dús (profuse) · ru ще́дрый (profuse) · it profuso (profuse) · es dadivoso (profuse) · de verschwenderisch (profuse) · es regalón (profuse) · bg обилен (profuse) · pl nadmierny (excessive) · ga flaithiúlach (profuse) · es descomedido (excessive) · la profūsus (excessive) · sv flådig (excessive) · hy շռայլ (profuse) · gl excesivo (excessive) · ro exuberant (profuse) · hu buja (profuse) · ro generos (profuse) · mk неу́мерен (excessive) · mk да́режлив (profuse) · mk изо́билен (profuse) · pl obfity (excessive) · hu túltengő (excessive) · ga flaithiúil (profuse) · es suntuario (profuse) · sv frikostig (excessive) · it generoso (profuse) · ro abundent (profuse) · el πληθωρικός (excessive) · mi tōtōā (profuse) · fr somptueux (profuse) · ro opulent (profuse) · mi whiuwhiu (profuse) · pt esbanjador (profuse) · la prōfusus (profuse) · de freigiebig (profuse) · de üppig (excessive) · bg разточителен (excessive)

lavish en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈlævɪʃ/
• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From Middle English laves, lavas, lavage (“extravagant, wasteful, prodigal”), from lavas (“excessive abundance”), from Old French lavasse, lavache (“torrent of rain”); possibly later conflated in some senses by Middle English laven (“to pour out”), equivalent to lave + -ish. Compare Scots lawage, lavisch, lavish (“unrestrained, excessively prodigal, extravagant”). Compare also English lavy (“lavish, liberal”), Dutch lafenis (“lavishness”).

Meanings

1. (obsolete, uncountable) Excessive abundance or expenditure, profusion, prodigality.

Forms

Deriveds

lavishment · overlavish · unlavish · lavishly · unlavished · lavisher · lavishness

lavish en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈlævɪʃ/
• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From Middle English laves, lavas, lavage (“extravagant, wasteful, prodigal”), from lavas (“excessive abundance”), from Old French lavasse, lavache (“torrent of rain”); possibly later conflated in some senses by Middle English laven (“to pour out”), equivalent to lave + -ish. Compare Scots lawage, lavisch, lavish (“unrestrained, excessively prodigal, extravagant”). Compare also English lavy (“lavish, liberal”), Dutch lafenis (“lavishness”).

Meanings

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.

Forms

Translations (39)

hu elhalmoz (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · de überschütten (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · bg раздавам щедро (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · es no escatimar (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · ru расточать (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · bg разхищавам (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · es prodigar (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · bg прахосвам (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · mi tōtōa (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · la dīlargior (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · sa पृणक्ति (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · sv slösa (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · mi nihowera (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · de überhäufen (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · mi ohaoha (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · es colmar (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · mk се ра́сфрли (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · el επιδαψιλεύω (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · fi (rahaa) syytää (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · it spendere profusamente (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · pt esbanjar (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · fi tuhlata (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · es despilfarrar (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · mi marere (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · hu szór (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · hu tékozol (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · es derrochar (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · pl obdarowywać (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · es prodigar (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · sv överösa (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · ru транжирить (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · de verschleudern (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · nl overladen (to give out to (somebody) extremely generously) · fa بریز و بپاش کردن (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · de verprassen (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · hu pazarol (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · mk ра́сфрли (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · it prodigare (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander) · it profondere (to expend or bestow with profusion; to squander)