Crossword Genius

Highly respected and hearty guests abounded (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

esteemed

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'highly respected' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'hearty guests abounded' is the wordplay.
'hearty guests' becomes 'es' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'abounded' becomes 'teemed' (I've seen this before).
'es'+'teemed'='ESTEEMED'

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for esteemed that I've seen before include "Well-regarded" , "Prestigious" , "Honoured" , "Venerable" , "Had great respect for" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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