tubby

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   informal: short, broad, and plump in build

   A tubby pony waited patiently beside the gate.

2. 2
   adj

   rounded, broad, or shaped somewhat like a tub

   The tubby little boat sat low in the water.

3. 3
   adj

   of a sound or instrument: dull, hollow, and lacking resonance

   Heavy curtains made the piano sound unpleasantly tubby.

Formed from tub + -y, originally describing something shaped like a tub. The rounded-shape sense extended informally to short, plump people and animals, while acoustics developed a separate comparison with the dull, hollow sound of a tub.

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