Bulwer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of flower, often characterized by cylindrical clusters of blooms that are visually striking in gardens and floral arrangements
2. Referring to a style of ornate and elaborate prose, particularly in literary works that emphasize detailed descriptions
3. Related to a person or the name of a historical figure known for contributions to the arts or literature, often associated with rich and imaginative writing

Etymology: Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the Victorian novelist and politician, is the reason this word exists. Writers and critics seized on his ornate prose, with its heavy imagery and grand Latinate phrasing, and the name became shorthand for the style itself. Readers in his day could invoke it without explaining further, which is how a personal name turned into a common noun. The source for this entry gives no further details, so the rest of the story rests on the well-documented fact that the novelist's name lent itself to a general label. Once it did, the word moved away from the man and into the vocabulary of critics, who used it to mock writing that piled adjective upon adjective and reached for effect at every turn.

Synonyms: Bulwer-Lytton, Edward Bulwer-Lytton