moreish

morish

/ (ˈmɔːrɪʃ) /

adjective

informal (of food) causing a desire for more these cakes are very moreish

VOCAB BUILDER

What does moreish mean?

Moreish is an informal word used to describe a food or drink that makes you want to have more of it.

Moreish is primarily British, and it’s relatively uncommon.

Example: These biscuits are so moreish—I can’t help but eat the whole bag in one sitting.

Where does moreish come from?

Although moreish sounds very much like modern slang, it’s actually recorded as far back as the 1690s, in a dictionary of English and Dutch (referring to pancakes, if you’re wondering). Its derivation is simple: more + the suffix -ish, which, among other things, can mean “addicted to” or “inclined or tending to” (as in bookish and freakish).

Moreish was spelled morish in most uses until quite recently. The current spelling gained prominence around the 1980s, about the same time the word itself started becoming more popular. Still, it is an uncommon word, used primarily by people in the U.K.

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What are some synonyms for moreish?

What are some words that share a root or word element with moreish?

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing moreish?

How is moreish used in real life?

Crisps, chips, biscuits, cakes—moreish is most often used with indulgent food that’s hard to stop eating.

 

 

Try using moreish!

Which of the following descriptions most closely describes a food that is moreish?

A. Tasty but very rich and filling
B. Delicious and hard to resist
C. A bit bland
D. Too spicy to eat

Example sentences from the Web for moreish

  • So sad that the moreish crepe is too good be consigned to just one day of the year.

    Shrove Tuesday Feast |Lydia Brownlow |March 8, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
  • “They cer'nly do taste kind o' moreish, Abby,” conceded Mr. Daggett thickly.

    An Alabaster Box |Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and Florence Morse Kingsley