Blubberous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having an excessive amount of fat, implying a softness that may suggest clumsiness or awkwardness in movement
2. Relating to a texture that is reminiscent of blubber, often indicating a sense of softness and lack of firmness
3. Marked by an abundance of fatty tissue giving a rounded, soft appearance ; exhibiting a texture that feels thick, soft and pliable like whale blubber

Etymology: Blubberous is a plain formation: the noun "blubber" with the suffix "-ous", meaning "full of" or "having the qualities of." Blubber itself is an older word for the thick layer of fat under a whale's skin, and it was later applied to a person's fatty flesh and to anything swollen, soft, or quivering in the same way. The suffix has a long road into English. It comes from Latin "-ōsus", which Old French took over as "-us" and passed to Middle English as "-ous". That same ending sits behind a huge number of English adjectives, such as "famous" and "joyous," so "blubberous" simply follows a very productive pattern. Because the suffix is so common, the result is transparent: a speaker can read "blubberous" as "blubbery" without needing to know its history. The two words are near synonyms, and the choice between them is mostly one of rhythm and tone.

Synonyms: fatty, lardy, chubby, obese

Antonyms: slim, lean