THE FIRST WORD

falstaffian

PRONUNCIATION:

(fal-STAF-ee-uhn) 

MEANING:

adjective: Fat, jolly, and convivial.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Sir John Falstaff, a character in Shakespeare's plays Henry IV (parts 1 & 2) and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Earliest documented use: 1809.

USAGE:

"His hair was long and scruffy, his ties ludicrous and his manner jovial bordering on Falstaffian; a board meeting, for him, was a debate, punctuated by gales of his maniacal laughter."
John Harvey-Jones; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 17, 2008.