Etymology From Middle English fat, from Old English fǣtt (“fatted, fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *faitid (“fatted”), originally the past participle of the verb *faitijan (“to make fat”), from *fait (“fat”).
Derogatory, Sometimes Carrying more fat than usual on one's body; plump; not lean or thin.
The fat man had problems going through the door.
The fattest pig should yield the most meat.
4 more examples
1932, New Orleans (La.) Board of Health, Vox Sanitatis While Hennessey is pouring the milk, the fat guy with the big pot-belly, will come over and write a lot of junk in his little book.
[…] Ruth‐ellen Stark and Elizabeth Ryan are about ten times fatter, but even they can't compare to Bruce…”1976 September 29, Richard Flaste, “Viewing Childhood As it Is”, in The New York Times:
And there he stood, as uncouth as ever, naked as the day he was born, but fatter and chinnier and even more self-satisfied […]1994, Craig Brown, The hounding of John Thomas:
Because, really, who would like the fat girl? Sebastian said I was crazy for thinking that.2014, Isabel Quintero, Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, Cinco Puntos Press, →ISBN, page 46:
2
Thick; large.
The fat wallets of the men from the city brought joy to the peddlers.
The thickest salmon, the curdiest trout, the fattest partridge, and the most tender woodcock smoked on his board, and, rumor said, cooked with a delicacy that more pretentious houses could not rival.1861, Charles James Lever, A Day's Ride:
3
Bulbous; rotund.
So this was my future home, I thought! […] Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
4
Bountiful.
5
Oily; greasy; unctuous; rich (said of food).
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Obsolete Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull; stupid.
Make the heart of this people fat,[…]1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 6:10, column 1:
1855 July 21, Ralph Waldo Emerson, letter to Walter Whitman making our western wits fat & mean
7
Fertile; productive.
a fat soil; a fat pasture
Land was fatter, soil was rich, hands were many1974, “Which Way Africa”, performed by Tunji Oyelana:
8
Rich; producing a large income; desirable.
a fat benefice; a fat office; a fat job
now parson of Troston, a fat living in Suffolk1882, Thomas Carlyle, Reminiscences:
9
Abounding in riches; affluent; fortunate.
, "Why Christ's Doctrine was Rejected" persons grown fat and wealthy by a long and successful imposture
10
Media, Printing, PublishingDated Of a character which enables the compositor to make large wages; said of matter containing blank, cuts, or many leads, etc.
a fat take; a fat page
11
Golf, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Being a shot in which the ground is struck before the ball.
Hitting a thin shot from a fairway bunker is more productive than hitting a fat shot.1992, DeDe Owens, Linda K. Bunker, Advanced Golf: Steps to Success, page 81:
He is what the theatre calls a “fat” role — a man suddenly confronted by a terrible duty. He is called upon to revenge the murder of his father and to right a wrong against the state.1965, Edmund Fuller, A Pageant of the Theatre, page 131:
He seeks a fat role in a hit show, lest he diminish his market value.1997, Harold Clurman, On Directing, page 12:
1 more example
Joe Hirakawa, formerly of the Seattle Civic Repertory Theatre, was a waterfront peddler in “Madame Butterfly” and had a fat role in “Beauty Parlor,” an indie.2012, Greg Robinson, Larry S. Tajiri, Pacific Citizens, page 9:
1970-1975, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure I'd've liked to hang around but the guys were in a fat hurry.
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Having a full or rich sound with strong bass and low-midrange presence.
15
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Carrying additional data or functionality.
fat client
a fat pointer
16
Alternative Alternative form of phat.
This isn't a place to talk about “hitting the decks” and making “fat beats”—you're not selling to an industry peer.2011, Joe Shambro, How to Start a Home-based DJ Business, page 19:
Etymology From Middle English fat, fatt, fatte, from the adjective above, and possibly from Old English fǣt (“fat”, recorded once), from Proto-West Germanic *fait, from Proto-Germanic *faitą, *faitaz (“fat”).
Golf, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To hit (a golf ball) with a fat shot.
“On this one hole, Donald hits his second and fats it into the water,” Faxon remembers. “But he quickly says to me, ‘Hey, throw me another ball; they weren’t looking.’ So I do. But he fats that one into the water, too. So he drives up and drops where he should’ve dropped the first time and hits it on the green.”2019 April 2, Rick Reilly, How and why President Trump cheats at golf — even when he’s playing against Tiger Woods, archived from the original on 29 Mar 2022:
Etymology From Middle English fat, fatt, fatte, from the adjective above, and possibly from Old English fǣt (“fat”, recorded once), from Proto-West Germanic *fait, from Proto-Germanic *faitą, *faitaz (“fat”).
Usually A specialized animal tissue with high lipid content, used for long-term storage of energy: fat tissue.
Mammals that hibernate have plenty of fat to keep them warm during the winter.
2
Usually Such tissue as food: the fatty portion of (or trimmings from) meat cuts.
Ask the butcher for a few pounds of fat for our greens.
3
Usually A lipid that is solid at room temperature, which fat tissue contains and which is also found in the blood circulation; sometimes, a refined substance chemically resembling such naturally occurring lipids.
Dietary fat is not the evil that it was once misapprehended to be; carbs are increasingly recognized as a bigger driver of atherosclerosis via chronic insulin resistance and the vascular processes that cascade from it.
In fact, the fats that are most stable and least likely to oxidize with heat are the highly saturated fats we've long been told to avoid—lard, tallow, butter, and coconut and palm oils.2018, Kristin Lawless, Formerly known as food, →ISBN, page 32:
4
Usually That part of an organization deemed wasteful.
Prefer military, bodybuilders, jocks. No smokers or fats please.1996, Roger Stone, "Local Swing Fever", highlighted by National Enquirer in September 1996 and Daily Mail in January 2019
10
Australia, Usually A beef cattle fattened for sale.
Before riding over to the fats we'll have a look about us.1934, Henry G. Lamond, An Aviary On The Plains, page 7:
He was droving his mob of fats to Derby, to ship by the southern boat for Fremantle.1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 11:
Etymology From Middle English fat, from Old English fæt (“vat, vessel, jar, cup, casket, division”), from Proto-Germanic *fatą (“vessel”), from Proto-Indo-European *pod- (“vessel”). Cognate with Dutch vat (“barrel, vessel”), German Fass (“barrel, drum”), Swedish fat (“barrel, dish, cask”). See vat.
1
Obsolete A large tub or vessel for water, wine, or other liquids; a cistern.
And the floores ſhall bee full of wheate, and the fats ſhall ouerflowe with wine and oyle.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joel 2:24, column 1:
In 1431 New College purchases brewing vessels, under the names of a mash fat, for 6s. 10d., a wort fat for 2s., a 'Gilleding' tub for 2s. 6d., and two tunning barrels at 8d. each, a leaden boiler for 24s., another for 12s., and a great copper beer pot for 13s. 4d.1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 429:
2
Obsolete A dry measure, generally equal to nine bushels.
I took my revenge on this ‘fat’, by making him as fatuitous as I possibly could.1853, Charlotte Brontë, Villette:
Ursula was amazed and indignant at the way he made small-talk; he was adept as any fat in Christendom.1921, DH Lawrence, Women in Love, Vintage, published 2008, page 288: