zaftig

adjective

zaf·tig | \ ˈzäf-tig

How to pronounce zaftig (audio)

, ˈzȯf-

How to pronounce zaftig (audio)

\

variants: or less commonly zoftig \ ˈzȯf-tig

How to pronounce zoftig (audio)

\

Definition of zaftig

of a woman

: having a full rounded figure : pleasingly plump

Zaftig Has Yiddish Origins Example Sentences Learn More about zaftig

Keep scrolling for more

Zaftig Has Yiddish Origins

Over the centuries, some women have been approvingly described as full-figured, shapely, womanly, curvy, curvaceous, voluptuous, and statuesque. Such women are, in a word, zaftig. Zaftig has been juicing up our language since the 1930s (the same decade that gave us Yiddish-derived futz, hoo-ha, and schmaltz, not to mention lox). It comes from the Yiddish zaftik, which means "juicy" or "succulent" and which in turn derives from zaft, meaning "juice" or "sap."

Examples of zaftig in a Sentence

The actress playing the lead role was a zaftig blonde.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about zaftig

Listen to Our Podcast about zaftig

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near zaftig

Statistics for zaftig

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for zaftig

The first known use of zaftig was in 1926

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for zaftig

zaftig

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of zaftig

chiefly US, informal, of a woman : slightly fat in an attractive way : having a full, rounded figure

See the full definition for zaftig in the English Language Learners Dictionary

WORD OF THE DAY

gnomic

characterized by aphorism

Test Your Vocabulary

Farm Idioms Quiz

What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ