Nearby Words
noun
1.
speech too pompous for an occasion; pretentious words.
2.
Obsolete. cotton or other material used to stuff garments; padding.
adjective
3.
Obsolete. bombastic.
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Bombast
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is daring. Does it mean:
| supernatural power of seeing objects or actions removed in space or time from natural viewing |
| adventurous courage |
Origin:
1560–70; earlier bombace padding < Middle French < Medieval Latin bombācem, accusative of bombāx; see bombax family
1560–70; earlier bombace padding < Middle French < Medieval Latin bombācem, accusative of bombāx; see bombax family
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To bombast
Example Sentences
- And during that decade, no bluster or bombast was necessary.
- He is a cultured and sophisticated man, not inclined to bombast.
- Outsiders face a mix of bombast about these new business lines and wobbliness.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Main Entry: | bombast1 |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | inflated language or speech |
| Etymology: | Old French bombace 'cotton wadding' |
| Main Entry: | bombast1 |
| Part of Speech: | v |
| Definition: | to inflate one's speech |
| Etymology: | Old French bombace 'cotton wadding' |
| Main Entry: | bombast2 |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | stuffing or padding, esp. of cotton |
| Etymology: | Old French bombace 'cotton wadding' |
| Main Entry: | bombast2 |
| Part of Speech: | v |
| Definition: | to stuff or pad |
| Etymology: | Old French bombace 'cotton wadding' |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
bombast
1560s, "cotton padding," corrupted from earlier bombace (1550s), from O.Fr. bombace "cotton, cotton wadding," from L.L. bombacem, acc. of bombax "cotton, 'linteorum aut aliae quaevis quisquiliae,' " a corruption and transferred use of L. bombyx "silk," from Gk. bombyx "silk, silkworm" (which also came
EXPANDto mean "cotton" in Medieval Gk.), from some oriental word, perhaps related to Iranian pambak (modern panba) or Armenian bambok, perhaps ultimately from a PIE root meaning "to twist, wind." From stuffing and padding for clothes or upholstery, meaning extended to "pompous, empty speech" (1580s). Also from the same source are Swed. bomull, Dan. bomuld "cotton," and, via Turkish forms, Mod.Gk. mpampaki, Romanian bumbac, Serbo-Cr. pamuk. Ger. baumwolle "cotton" is probably from the Latin word but altered by folk-etymology to look like "tree wool." Pol. bawelna, Lith. bovelna are partial translations from German.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Word Dynamo Rating For Bombast
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