Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 12, 2023 is: luscious \LUSH-us\ adjective

Luscious most often describes something that has a delicious taste or smell, but it can also mean “richly luxurious or appealing to the senses,” “excessively ornate,” or “sexually attractive.”

// Their famous chocolate cake is served with a luscious peppermint whipped cream topping.

// Her deep, luscious alto made her the perfect choice to play the part of Sally Bowles, [chanteuse](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chanteuse) of the Kit Kat Club in Cabaret.

// The author’s vivid, luscious prose won’t win over Carver or Hemingway die-hards, but fans of lovingly rendered (if a bit [florid](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/florid)) description will eat it up.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/luscious)

Examples:

“There are countless avenues to flavoring a pot of beans; this one, with the addition of chipotle peppers in [adobo](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adobo) sauce and a bit of tomato paste, will lead the beans to a slightly spicy, slightly smoky place rendering them hearty and flavorful enough to be the star of the plate. ... Drizzling in a little additional olive oil to the vegetable stock will give you a very luscious, delicious [pot liquor](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pot%20liquor), or broth.” — Andrea Aliseda, Whetstone Magazine, 16 May 2022

Did you know?

Have you ever heard a young child describe a favorite food as “licius” instead of “delicious”? Back in the Middle Ages, the word licius was sometimes used as a shortened form of [delicious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delicious) by adults and kids alike. Linguists believe that luscious may have developed when licius (which comes from the Latin verb delicere, meaning “to entice by charm or attraction”) was further altered to lucius by 15th-century speakers. The adjective [lush](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lush) can sometimes mean “delicious” as well but is not a shortened form of luscious, having developed on its own from the Middle English lusch, meaning “soft or tender.”