Succose

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Abounding in juice or sap, especially in the way that certain fleshy plants and fruits are moist and watery
2. Containing a great deal of juice, so that the plant tissue feels moist and full when bitten or pressed
3. Rich in natural moisture and sap, describing fleshy plant matter that is juicy and tender to the touch

Etymology: Before it meant anything about plants or food, the Latin "succus" meant simply "juice," and "succosus" described anything full of it. English borrowed the adjective "succose" from that Latin base, and it has long been used to describe plants and fruit that are rich in sap. Its root is closely related to the English verb "suck." Both trace back to an ancient Indo-European root, "*seug-," meaning "to suck," so the word for the liquid and the act of drawing it in are cousins. The same Latin stem gave English "succulent," which came in through French and has a more familiar life today. "Succose" is the older and rarer relative, and it has stayed mostly in specialist and dictionary use. Its meaning has changed little over the centuries, which is unusual for a word that began as a plain description of wet, juicy things.