Find the word definition

Crossword clues for profuse

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
profuse
adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
profuse apologiesformal (= when someone says that they are sorry several times )
▪ Moira telephoned with profuse apologies for the misunderstanding.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
apology
▪ The following day, Moira telephoned the Daily Telegraph with profuse apologies for the misunderstanding.
▪ Our profuse apologies go out to both gentlemen.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Herpes simplex infection, when it involves the cervix, can cause a profuse discharge.
▪ I loved its profuse blossoms, its heady scent.
▪ Our profuse apologies go out to both gentlemen.
▪ The coats of many puppies may be less profuse than that of adults, and so grooming will be more straight forward.
▪ The discharge may be quite profuse.
▪ The following day, Moira telephoned the Daily Telegraph with profuse apologies for the misunderstanding.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Profuse

Profuse \Pro*fuse"\, a. [L. profusus, p. p. of profundere to pour forth or out; pro forward, forth + fundere to pour: cf. F. profus. See Fuse to melt.]

  1. Pouring forth with fullness or exuberance; bountiful; exceedingly liberal; giving without stint; as, a profuse government; profuse hospitality.

    A green, shady bank, profuse of flowers.
    --Milton.

  2. Superabundant; excessive; prodigal; lavish; as, profuse expenditure. ``Profuse ornament.''
    --Kames.

    Syn: Lavish; exuberant; bountiful; prodigal; extravagant.

    Usage: Profuse, Lavish, Prodigal. Profuse denotes pouring out (as money, etc.) with great fullness or freeness; as, profuse in his expenditures, thanks, promises, etc. Lavish is stronger, implying unnecessary or wasteful excess; as, lavish of his bounties, favors, praises, etc. Prodigal is stronger still, denoting unmeasured or reckless profusion; as, prodigal of one's strength, life, or blood, to secure some object.
    --Dryden.

Profuse

Profuse \Pro*fuse"\, v. t. To pour out; to give or spend liberally; to lavish; to squander. [Obs.]
--Chapman.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
profuse

early 15c., "lavish, extravagant," from Latin profusus "spread out, lavish, extravagant," literally "poured forth," noun use of past participle of profundere "pour forth," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + fundere "to pour" (see found (v.2)). Meaning "bountiful" is from c.1600. Related: Profusely; profuseness.

Wiktionary
profuse
  1. In great quantity or abundance. v

  2. (context obsolete English) To pour out; to give or spend liberally; to lavish; to squander.

WordNet
profuse

adj. produced or growing in extreme abundance; "their riotous blooming" [syn: exuberant, lush, luxuriant, riotous]

Usage examples of "profuse".

Miliaria is almost universally an accompaniment of febrile disease, and all disorders in which there occurs a profuse perspiration.

Their officers asserted the superiority of rank by a more profuse and elegant luxury.

In a London discussion there was mentioned the case of a healthy woman of fifty who never was pregnant, and whose menstruation had ceased two years previously, but who for twelve months had menstruated regularly from the nipples, the hemorrhage being so profuse as to require constant change of napkins.

The Palace is situated in an obscure corner of Rome, near the quarter of the Jews, and from the upper windows you see the immense ruins of Mount Palatine half hidden under their profuse overgrowth of trees.

But skilled medical provers who have experimentally tested the toxical effects of the Dandelion plant have found it to produce, when taken in excess, troublesome indigestion, characterized by a tongue coated with a white skin which peels off in patches, leaving a raw surface, whilst the kidneys become unusually active, with profuse night sweats and an itching nettle rash.

It also aids nutrition, and thus tones up the general system, so that in the form of profuse menstruation, resulting from debility, the patient is strengthened, her blood enriched, and her nervousness quieted, which constitutes the necessary treatment to make the cure permanent.

The figures are of wood, stiff, and lifeless, the supper is profuse and of much later date than the figures, but the whole scene is among the least successful on the Sacro Monte.

South Africa where they grow naturally profuse, blue-tongued exotic orange protrusions from the deep purple-green bill, silently mating there among the native white pear, the red ivory, black stinkwood, and umzimbiti.

Bird thou never wert, That from Heaven, or near it, Pourest thy full heart In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.

Josh himself apologized in profuse Aberdonian for not having been by her side to aid her, but she dismissed this with kind, if brusque, impatience.

If the discharges are very profuse, the fluid extract of cranesbill may be administered in from two to ten-drop doses alternately with the bismuth.

Between the circulating currents, profuse eelgrass, and marine scavengers, it was a rough environment in which to dredge for a corpse.

At that time the Government appreciated their service, and was profuse in thanks, and there the national gratitude seems to have ended so far as the Fenian Raid Veterans are concerned.

The figures are of wood, stiff, and lifeless, the supper is profuse and of much later date than the figures, but the whole scene is among the least successful on the Sacro Monte.

Nothing was talked of in Limoges but the profuse expenditures of the banker.