Fatter

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having more bulk or substance, often due to an increase in weight or size
2. Possessing a greater amount of body mass or flesh compared to a previous state
3. Exhibiting an increased level of physical girth or size, often related to weight gain

Etymology: The comparative of "fat" is "fatter," and the surprise lies in the base word. "Fat" was originally a past participle: an Old English-era verb meant "to make fat," and the adjective grew out of that participle, so something that was "fatted" had been fed up until it was plump. Medieval English then used the word as a noun, "fatt" or "fatte," meaning a vessel or tub, which is probably connected to the adjective. That sense survives in "vat." The link to containers is the part most readers would never guess. The likeliest source is a Germanic root for "vessel," which also gave Dutch "vat" and German "Fass" ("barrel" or "drum"), and Swedish "fat" still means "barrel" or "dish." Whether the adjective borrowed its sense from the barrel, or the two simply share an ancestor, is not settled, so the connection is best read as probable rather than proven.

Synonyms: plumper, rounder

Antonyms: thinner, slimmer