scrumptious
/ˈskɹʌm(p)ʃəs/
scrumptious means of food: delectable, delicious. It carries an Arena rating of 1436, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, scrumptious ranks #259 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #748 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,072 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #1,644 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
scrumptious is pronounced /ˈskɹʌm(p)ʃəs/.
Why “scrumptious” is a great word
Extremely delicious, delectable, or wonderfully attractive. Probably from scrimp ("to be frugal or limit") with the suffix -ious ("having the quality of"), possibly influenced by sumptuous; first recorded in 1820–30. Unlike "sumptuous," which speaks of lavish, opulent spread, or "delectable," a more formal and restrained delicacy, scrumptious is a word of immediate, informal, and often exaggerated delight. It is the visceral crackle of a perfectly fried chicken skin, the unctuous collapse of a ripe cheese on the tongue, or the gleeful, sticky mess of a cinnamon bun—a tiny, jubilant rebellion against frugality, celebrating the moment when thrift gives way to pure, unmediated pleasure.
Etymology
Probably from scrimp (“to put on short allowance, limit, straiten; to be frugal”) + -ious (suffix forming adjectives denoting the presence of a quality in any degree (usually an abundance)), possibly modelled after scrimption (“small portion, little bit, scrap”). If that hypothesis is true, then scrumpy may be related, via roots referring to little amounts. Douglas Harper instead derives the word from sumptuous. As the early cites in British English have a clearly different sense from the early cites in American English, only to merge together later, it may be that there were originally two unrelated words.
adj
- Of food: delectable, delicious.e.g.“What a scrumptious treat!”
- Of a person or thing: excellent, wonderful; also, very aesthetically pleasing or attractive; good enough to eat.e.g.“[…] I came here to have a wink at the fash'nables—hang me, if ever I see such a scrumptious lot.” — 1865, George Meredith, “The Melting of the Thousand”, in Rhoda Fleming. […], volume II, London: Tinsley Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 262:
- Fastidious, picky.
- Very small; tiny.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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