Word of the Day - 07/14/26
winsome
/'wɪnsəm/(adj.): charming in a childlike or naive way
Her winsome smile, full of innocent delight, charmed everyone in the room.
Word Origin
The word "winsome" originates from Old English "wynsum", which meant "pleasant, delightful, joyful". It is composed of "wyn", meaning "joy" or "pleasure", and the adjectival suffix "-sum", which signifies "full of" or "characterized by".
The suffix "-some" is productive in English and can be observed in words such as "handsome", "bothersome", "lonesome", and "frolicsome". The Old English root "wyn" (joy) is related to "wynn" (joy) and has historical connections to the verb "win" in its older sense of striving or toiling for something.