† specioseadj.1
Obsolete. rare.
Beautiful, lovely. In quot. a1525 absol.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > [adjective]
smickerc725
faireOE
lieflyOE
sheenOE
wenlichc1000
wlitic1000
lovesomec1175
lustya1240
flourisheda1375
lovelya1400
weenc1400
beauteous1435
beautifulc1443
finec1450
pulchriousa1500
speciousa1513
shanda1525
speciosea1525
pulchrousc1540
bonny1580
beauty1598
lovelike1621
killing1634
florid1642
beautied1830
stunning1849
fairsome1862
pulchritudinous1877
beaut1894
loverly1907
a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 733 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 118 Haile speciose most specifyet with ye spiritualis..Haile our hope and our helpe.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
specioseadj.2
/ˈspiːʃɪəʊs/, /ˈspiːʃɪəʊz/, /ˈspiːsɪəʊs/, /ˈspiːsɪəʊz/, U.S. /ˈspiʃiˌoʊs/, /ˈspiʃiˌoʊz/, /ˈspisiˌoʊs/, /ˈspisiˌoʊz/ Biology.
Of a taxon or other group of organisms: comprising many species; species-rich. Cf. speciosity n.2
ΚΠ
1932 Copeia No. 2. 107 So speciose is the group, and so extensive and complicated and notoriously difficult has been its classification, that any general comparison of the genera had become almost impossible.
1955 Systematic Zool. 4 18/1 Hybridization is more frequent in the fresh waters of western North America than in the more speciose waters of eastern North America.
1999 Jrnl. Biogeogr. 26 702/2 The most speciose phanerogamic genera are Baccharis..Leandra..and Senecio.
2002 S. J. Gould Struct. Evolutionary Theory vi. 477 If brought into competition after previous isolation, big clades from large regions will prevail over less speciose groups from smaller areas.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1a1525
adj.21932