lissom
Syllables: lis·som/ˈlɪsəm/
lissom adjective: flexible and graceful in movement; lithe.
Adjective
lissom (comparative lissomer, superlative lissomest)
- Flexible and graceful in movement; lithe.
- Now, our country lads, [...] are so much better made, so much more athletic, and yet so much lissomer—to use a Hampshire phrase, which deserves at least to be good English.1824, Mary Russell Mitford, “A Country Cricket-match”, in Our Village: Sketches of Rural Character and Scenery, London: G[eorge] and W. B. Whittaker, […], →OCLC, page 147
- A brig you see, sir, is much more laboursome in a gale of wind. A Schooner is much lissomer built.1838, “Conversation V. King of Spain’s Journey—Difference of Ships.”, in Conversations of a Father with His Children, 5th edition, volume II, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], →OCLC, page 41
lissom meaning in Tamil, Bengali, Kannada and Vietnamese
lissom in Tamil
- துவள்வுடைய, ஒசிவான
lissom in Bengali
- নমনীয়, চটপটে, সুডৌল
lissom in Kannada
- ಬಳುಕುವ, ನಮ್ಯ, ಬಾಗುವ
lissom in Vietnamese
- flexible and graceful in movement — see also lithe
- dẻo
Examples of lissom in a sentence
- If they were not waterproof, as they professed to be, the only question was, as it appeared to me, how they ever got dry and lissome again, when they were once wet.1841, [Joseph Thomas James Hewlett], chapter I, in Theodore [Edward] Hook, editor, Peter Priggins, the College Scout. … In Three Volumes...
- [Y]onder sly old trout has seen too much of us; there, taking advantage of an escort of the smaller fry, he's off while we speak; and one flap of his lissom tail has carried him ten yards away: [...]1843, “M. F. T.”, “Country Pleasures; and therein Chiefly, of Angling and Fly-fishing”, in Bentley’s Miscellany, volume XIII, London...
- Straight, but as lissome as a hazel wand; / Her eyes a bashful azure, and her hair / In gloss and hue the chestnut, when the shell / Divides threefold to show th'fruit within.1855, Alfred Tennyson, “The Brook; an Idyl”, in Maud, and Other Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 105:
- [A] robe / Of samite without price, that more exprest / Than hid her, clung about her lissome limbs, / In colour like the satin-shining palm / On sallows in the windy gleams of March: [...]1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Vivien”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, pages 104–105:
Synonyms of lissom
Forms of lissom
| comparative | lissomer |
|---|---|
| superlative | lissomest |
| alternative form | lissome |
Origin of lissom
From Middle English lithsum, equivalent to lithe + -some. Doublet of lithesome.
Words formed from lissom
Questions about lissom
- What does lissom mean?
- Lissom means flexible and graceful in movement; lithe.
- What is lissom in Tamil?
- Lissom in Tamil is துவள்வுடைய, ஒசிவான. See Lissom meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use lissom in a sentence?
- If they were not waterproof, as they professed to be, the only question was, as it appeared to me, how they ever got dry and lissome again, when they were once wet.
- What part of speech is lissom?
- Lissom is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce lissom?
- Lissom is pronounced /ˈlɪsəm/ (UK).
Words near lissom in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: lissom (page history and authors); lissom (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); lissom (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); lissom (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-lissome.wav.
Cite this entry: “lissom.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lissom. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.