Portliness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being noticeably overweight suggests a physical robustness and can evoke an impression of dignity
2. A condition marked by a substantial physical form that often implies a sense of grandeur
3. The quality of having a bulky or overweight physique that often conveys a sense of dignity or presence

Etymology: Portliness is a plain formation: the adjective "portly" with the suffix "-ness", which turns a quality into a noun. The adjective is the more interesting half. Its ancestry runs through Old English and Middle English, where "port" was itself the root of the word "portly", and the "-ness" ending has been attached to native English adjectives since Old English times. The suffix "-ness" traces back to the Old English "-nes" and ultimately to Proto-Germanic forms, so it is an inherited English element rather than a loan. Attached to "portly", it produced a noun that describes the state or quality of being stout and dignified in bearing.

Synonyms: stoutness, heaviness, bulkiness, plumpness, roundness

Antonyms: slimness, thinness, leaness, slenderness, skinniness