Word of the Day Archive
Thursday May 10, 2001
solicitous \suh-LIS-uh-tuhs\
, adjective:
1. Manifesting or expressing care or concern.
2. Full of anxiety or concern; apprehensive.
3. Extremely careful; meticulous.
4. Full of desire; eager.
He does not appear to have suffered from homesickness, although the suspicion that this might have been due to the unsatisfactory nature of his 'home' life seems belied by the tone and content of his letters; he makes frequent and solicitous inquiries after not only Mabel and his mother but also his father.
-- Matthew Sturgis, Aubrey Beardsley: A Biography
She was often solicitous of her daughter's feelings and intense reactions, trying to shield her from emotional trauma.
-- Adrienne Fried Block, Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian
He . . . was excessively solicitous, constantly apologizing for the car's poor suspension, the heat, the state of the roads, and the insane behavior of other drivers.
-- John Case, The Genesis Code
He was also solicitous of my health and would notice when I was tired or under great strain.
-- Cartha D. "Deke" DeLoach, Hoover's FBI
Solicitous is from Latin sollicitus, "thoroughly or violently moved, disturbed, or agitated," hence "anxious, uneasy, worried," from sollus, "whole, entire" + citus, past participle of ciere, "to move, to stir."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for solicitous
