plummy

English

Etymology

plum +‎ -y. In the sense of a voice, because of the supposed similarity to speaking with a plum in one's mouth.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: plŭmʹē, IPA(key): /ˈplʌmi/
  • Rhymes: -ʌmi

Adjective

plummy (comparative plummier, superlative plummiest)

  1. Of, pertaining to, containing, or characteristic of plums
  2. (informal) desirable; profitable; advantageous
    • 1876, George Eliot, chapter 16, in Daniel Deronda:
      The poets have made tragedies enough about signing one's self over to wickedness for the sake of getting something plummy; I shall write a tragedy of a fellow who signed himself over to be good, and was uncomfortable ever after.
  3. (of a voice) rich, mellow and carefully articulated, especially with an upper-class accent
    • 2014 March 31, Roger Cohen, “The case for Scotland”, in The New York Times‎:
      The fact that David Cameron, the conservative prime minister, is a plummy-voiced, Eton-educated, upper-class Brit from central casting has played into [Alex] Salmond's hands.

Derived terms

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