Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “voluptuous” come from?

Voluptuous comes from Middle French voluptueux, from Latin voluptuosus, derived from Latin voluptas (pleasure), formed with the Latin suffix -tas from a root akin to Proto-Indo-European welh₁p-.

voluptuous (English): Suggestive of or characterized by full, generous,...

Definitions

  1. Suggestive of or characterized by full, generous,...

Ancestry of “voluptuous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchvoluptueux—
2Latinvoluptuōsus—
3Latinvoluptās—
4Latinvoluppleasantly, agreeably, satisfactorily; with...
5Old Latinvolupe—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwelh₁p-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwelh₁-to choose; to want

Words derived from “voluptuous”

  • voluptuousness
  • voluptuously
  • unvoluptuous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European welh₁- →