Word of the Day

: September 26, 2007

bodacious

adjective boh-DAY-shuss

What It Means

1 : outright, unmistakable

2 : remarkable, noteworthy

3 : sexy, voluptuous

bodacious in Context

"Bears are not picky eaters especially in the spring, after they wake up from their winter hibernation with a bodacious appetite." (George Osgood, Star-Gazette [Elmira, New York], May 12, 2007)

Did You Know?

Some of our readers may know "bodacious" as a word that figured prominently in the lingo of the 1989 film Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Others may recall the term's frequent use in the long-running "Snuffy Smith" comic strip. Neither the creators of the comic strip nor the movie can claim to have coined "bodacious," which actually first appeared in print in 1832, but both likely contributed to its popularity. The exact origin of the word is uncertain, but it was most likely influenced by "bold" and "audacious," and it may be linked to "boldacious," a term from British dialect.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.