What does chesty mean?
Chesty is an informal adjective with two distinct senses. In its older and still widely understood meaning, it describes a person—usually a woman—with a large or prominent bust, a usage now somewhat dated and often carrying objectifying overtones. More commonly heard in contemporary British English, chesty also describes a cough or cold marked by congestion in the lungs, as when a doctor distinguishes a 'chesty cough,' which produces phlegm, from a dry, tickling one. The word is formed simply from 'chest' plus the adjectival suffix '-y.' Because of its informal register and its potential to cause offense in the physical-description sense, it should be used with care; the medical sense, however, is entirely neutral and appears routinely in everyday speech and pharmacy contexts throughout Britain.
Having a large or prominent bust.
"The caricature depicted him as a chesty, swaggering general."
Informal; can sound objectifying.
(Of a cough or cold) accompanied by congestion and phlegm in the chest or lungs.
"She dosed herself with syrup for a stubbornly chesty cold."
Chiefly British.
"Chesty" does double duty across the Atlantic: in Britain it describes a phlegmy cough, while elsewhere it more often describes a figure.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chesty
Chesty is a straightforward English formation combining 'chest'—from Old English 'cest,' borrowed from Latin 'cista,' a box or basket ultimately of Greek origin ('kistē')—with the adjectival suffix '-y.' The word emerged in English during the nineteenth century, first applied to physical build and later extended figuratively to congested chests in the respiratory sense. Its root connects it to other borrowings from the same Latin source, such as 'cistern' and 'cassette.'
How chesty is actually used
Both senses are informal. The 'large-bosomed' sense is somewhat dated and can sound objectifying or leering in modern usage. The respiratory sense ('a chesty cough') is especially common in British English, where doctors and pharmacists routinely distinguish a 'chesty' cough from a 'dry' one.
Easily confused with chesty
"Cheesy" means cheap or corny (or resembling cheese), while "chesty" refers either to a full bust or to chest congestion.