Pulchritude is great physical beauty. Pulchritude derives from the Latin adjective pulcher (beautiful). Various forms of pulchritude include the verb pulchrify (which means beautify) and the adjective pulchritudinous (which has the same meaning as pulchritude).
Each form of pulchritude describes a heartbreaking, breathtaking form of physical beauty. While most would use pulchritude to characterize someone who has exquisitely attractive qualities, I feel as though pulchritude can just as readily be used to describe anything that has that physical allure to it. Nature is filled with pulchritudinous elements, from sunsets and sunrises to grand vistas and lush fields to spider webs and flowers. Beauty or in this case pulchritude, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.
While I may feel that Nature is every bit as deserving of the descriptive pulchritude, my mind did go immediately to the images of Renée Perle by Jacques-Henri Lartigue as an ideal embodiment of pulchritudinous!
Pulchritude is a gorgeous word, or at least is has quite the gorgeous meaning since the word it’s self does look a bit like an ailment one might have or perhaps the name of a mushroom or something, lol! No matter, pulchritude is now going to gain a bit of traction in my lexicon!
Namaste ~ Ella
*Check out the Word Nerd Index and my Word Nerd Pinterest Board for other superb words!
** If there’s a word you’d like to see added to the Word Nerd roster, please feel free to contact me or suggest it in the comments – I love feedback and recommendations!
Lawhimsy 