Buxom once described compliance or readiness to bend. Later senses included liveliness and healthy fullness, before the familiar physical description became prominent. Its history connects a character judgement with a bodily one through several overlapping senses.
Sources
- Middle English Dictionary · buxǒm
Attested Middle English forms and the obedient or compliant senses.
- Merriam-Webster · buxom
The word’s etymology and recorded senses.
- Etymonline · buxom
Additional context for the meaning or borrowing history.