Squidgiest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Most soft, moist and yielding when pressed, like overripe fruit or a very spongy cake
2. Describing the most squashy and pliable of things, giving way easily under gentle pressure
3. Having the greatest degree of softness and wet give when handled, as with mud or ripe produce

Etymology: "Squidgiest" is the superlative of "squidgy", so it is the form that means most squidgy of all. The base word "squidgy" is built on "squidge", a verb meaning to squeeze or squash something soft, and the "-y" ending turns that action into a quality: something that gives under pressure and feels wet or yielding. The "-iest" ending then marks the highest degree of that quality, the way "biggest" marks the top of "big". The verb "squidge" is an informal, imitative-sounding formation, and its exact origin is not firmly recorded. Its sound seems to echo the squelch of pressing something wet, a common pattern in English words for messy textures, such as "squelch" and "squish". Those similarities are suggestive rather than proven, so the word's family resemblance is the safest thing to say about it.

Synonyms: squishy, squashy, soft, spongy

Antonyms: hard, firm, rigid, solid