winsome
adjective

- sweetly or innocently charming; winning; engaging

- attractive and pleasing, with simple qualities, sometimes like those a child has

- generally pleasing and engaging often because of a childlike charm and innocence

Dictionary dot com / Cambridge Dictionary / Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

Contrary to logic, the word “winsome” has nothing to do with being lucky or winning. “Winsome” derives from Middle English wynsom, meaning “beautiful; agreeable, gracious, pleasant” and from Old English wynsum “joyful, merry, pleasant”.

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THANKS TO THE SCOTS

For 400 years “winsome” existed only in northern English dialect until being revived in the 18th century by Hamilton, Burns, and other Scottish poets.

My Wife’s A Winsome Wee Thing (1792)

She is a winsome wee (little) thing,
She is a handsome wee thing,
She is a lo’esome (lovesome) wee thing,
This dear wee wife o’ mine.

I never saw a fairer,
I never lo’ed (loved) a dearer,
And neist (next to) my heart I’ll wear her,
For fear my jewel tine (be lost),

The warld’s wrack (world’s trouble) we share o’t (of it);
The warstle (wrestle) and the care o’t;
Wi’ (with) her I’ll blythely bear it,
And think my lot divine.

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THE SUFFIX “-SOME”

The suffix “-some” is a word-forming element used in making adjectives from nouns and sometimes verbs; it’s found in several common adjectives including:

adventuresome, bothersome, cumbersome, twosome threesome foursome,…, handsome, lonesome, loathsome, fearsome, troublesome, worrysome, wholesome, and that most superlative of American English superlatives: AWESOME!

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SYNONYMS

- attractive or appealing in a fresh, innocent way

adorable, alluring, angelic, arcadian, as nice as pie, as pretty as a picture, barley-sugar, bonnie, breathtaking, camera-friendly, captivating, chocolate-box, cute, cutesy, delectable, delightful, delightsome, disarming, dreamboat, elfin, enchanted, enchanting, entrancing, exquisite, eye-catching, fairylike, fairytale-like, fetching, gladsome, gorgeous, greatly to one’s liking, heart-stopping, like a dream come true, lovely, lovesome, Orphean, picture-perfect, picture-postcard, pretty as a picture, spellbinding, sweet-natured, sweet-tempered, toothsome, willowy, winning, WINSOME

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Of all the synonyms for 'delightful’ WINSOME is one of my favourites.”

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THANKS David, for suggesting today’s word.

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

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and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40