Exuberant

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪɡˈzuːbəɹənt/

Origin

From Middle French exubérant, from Latin exūberāns, the present active participle of exūberō ("be abundant"). Put together from ex ("out"), and uber ("udder"), and originally would have referred to a cow or she-goat which was making so much milk that it naturally dripped or sprayed from the udder.

Full definition of exuberant

Adjective

1. (of people) Very high-spirited; extremely energetic and enthusiastic.
• 1882, Frank_R._Stockton, "The Lady or the Tiger?":He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts.
• 1961, Joseph_Heller, Catch-22:She was a tall, earthy, exuberant girl with long hair and a pretty face.
2. (of things that grow) Abundant, luxuriant, profuse, superabundant.
• 1972, Ken Lemmon, "Restoration Work at Studley Royal," Garden History, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 22:The County Architect's Department is starting to pleach trees to open up these vistas, now almost hidden by the exuberant growth.