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Embonpoint is most often used to describe people of heavy, but not unattractive, girth. It derives from "en bon point," a phrase from Middle French that means "in good condition." The word was first used as a noun in English in the 17th century. It has subsequently appeared in works by Charlotte Brontë ("a form decidedly inclined to embonpoint" - Shirley), James Fenimore Cooper ("an embonpoint that was just sufficient to distinguish her from most of her companions" - Home as Found), and George Eliot ("as erect in her comely embonpoint as a statue of Ceres" - Adam Bede), among others.
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“Embonpoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embonpoint. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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