lush

A soft, wet word to fall back into. It starts with the loving lick of a lateral liquid, peaks briefly with the most neutral and relaxed vowel available, and slides softly into sibilant susurration, like easing yourself from a large lotus leaf into a fresh rainforest pool. If it seems utterly lazy and relaxed, that may be because it comes from the same Latin source as French lâche and English lax. It may leave the mind heading towards luscious, and it seems like the love child of love and hush – and a soul brother to plush, though they’re not cognate – but it also has a shadowy alcoholic second sense. It is often seen lately in the company of lipstick, though it can still be found with tropical vegetation.