solicitous
Meaning
showing care and helpful attention to someone's needs, health, or happiness.
full of anxiety or concern.
Structure
Usage
she was very solicitous about her father's health after his surgery.
the solicitous waiter ensured our glasses were never empty.
he gave her a solicitous look, worried she might be overworking herself.
Etymology
the word 'solicitous' originates from the latin adjective solicitus, which meant 'agitated' or 'anxious'. this latin term is a compound of sollus ('whole, entire') and cietus ('aroused, set in motion'), suggesting a state of being thoroughly stirred up or concerned. over time, the sense of anxious care evolved in english to emphasize the attentive and caring aspect of that concern, shifting from internal agitation to external watchfulness. the suffix '-ous' was added directly from the latin model, solidifying its role as an adjective describing someone characterized by such attentive care or anxiety.
Analysis
solicit (from latin solicitus, meaning anxious, agitated, from sollus (whole) + cietus, past participle of ciere, to set in motion, to arouse); ous (from latin -osus, a suffix forming adjectives meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by').