Wynsom

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pleasing and agreeable in a gentle, cheerful way, as an old-fashioned word for something charming
2. Describing a person or thing that is delightful and pleasant, in the manner of an archaic English term
3. Having an agreeable, gladdening quality that brings joy or good feeling, as used in older English writing

Etymology: Wynsom is an Old English adjective, and its story is mostly one of plain inheritance. It is formed from "wyn", meaning joy or delight, with the suffix "-sum", which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "characterised by" or "causing" that quality, as in "wholesome" or "handsome." So the word literally described something full of joy, and it was used of things that gave pleasure to the eye or the spirit. Old English "wyn" is a close relative of Old Norse "vin" (friend) and German "Wonne" (bliss), a tie that shows how closely early Germanic speakers linked pleasure with companionship. The word has a very old pedigree, but it is attested only in Old English and survived mainly in poetry and dialect, so it is rare today.

Synonyms: winsome, charming, engaging, cheerful

Antonyms: repellent, unlovely