Link Centre Dictionary

bosom

bo·som

UK/ˈbʊz(ə)m/ US/ˈbʌz(ə)m/ fairly common

noun

1.

the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept

  • “his bosom was bursting with the secret”
2.

a person''s breast or chest

3.

cloth that covers the chest or breasts

4.

a close affectionate and protective acceptance

  • “his willing embrace of new ideas”
  • “in the bosom of the family”
Synonyms
5.

the locus of feelings and intuitions

  • “in your heart you know it is true”
  • “her story would melt your bosom”
Synonyms
6.

either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman

verb

1.

hide in one''s bosom

  • “She bosomed his letters”
2.

hug, usually with fondness

  • “Hug me, please”
  • “They embraced”

Origin

From Middle English bosom, bosum, from Old English bōsm, from Proto-West Germanic *bōsm, from Proto-Germanic *bōsmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewH- (“to swell, bend, curve”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Bossem, Bousem (“bosom”), West Frisian boezem (“bosom”), Dutch boezem (“bosom”), German Busen (“bosom”). Related also to Albanian buzë (“lip”), Greek βυζί (vyzí, “breast”), Romanian buză (“lip”), Irish bus (“lip”), and Latin bucca (“cheek”).

Phrases

  • Abraham's bosom
  • bird in the bosom
  • bosom buddy
  • bosom friend
  • cherish a snake in one's bosom
  • in Abraham's bosom
  • nourish a viper in one's bosom
  • take to one's bosom

Related words

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.