verdant

adjective

ver·​dant ˈvər-dᵊnt 

1

a

: green in tint or color

b

: green with growing plants

verdant fields

2

: unripe in experience or judgment : green sense 5a

verdancy

ˈvər-dᵊn(t)-sē 

noun

verdantly

ˈvər-dᵊnt-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

English speakers have been using verdant as a ripe synonym of green since at least the 16th century, and as a descriptive term for inexperienced or naïve people since the 19th century. (By contrast, the more experienced green has colored our language since well before the 12th century, and was first applied to inexperienced people in the 16th century.) Verdant comes from the Old French word for "green," vert, which itself is from Latin virēre, meaning "to show green growth" or "to be green." Today, vert is used in English as a word for green forest vegetation and the heraldic color green. A related word is virescent, meaning "beginning to be green."

Synonyms

• green
• grown
• leafy
• lush
• luxuriant
• overgrown

Examples of verdant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Also look for firm, plump grapes with verdant, flexible stems. —Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appétit, 23 Apr. 2024

But already the joggers, cyclists, scooter-riders, skaters and dog-walkers — not to mention the monarch butterflies — are out basking in the verdant transformation of more than two miles of once-scruffy terrain. —Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2024

This verdant subgenre has taken root in the hearts and playlists enthusiasts, sprouting from the fertile soil of California and Northern Mexico’s cultural landscape. —Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2024

Veuve Clicquot approached her last year having already secured the space, which was erected in a verdant garden on Via Senato. —David Graver, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024

Underwater walls of glass in the swimming pool further enhance the interplay between interior and exterior spaces, while the extensive use of hardwoods and other natural materials, including verdant living walls of foliage, connects the home to its natural surroundings. —Mark David, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024

Today it is covered with verdant bamboo and fruit trees. —Sui-Lee Wee Ulet Ifansasti, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024

This fresh, verdant mole epitomizes his embrace of traditional techniques. —Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

No matter how many bunches of curly kale, sturdy collard greens and steely chard arrive each week, there’s always a place on my table for their floppy, verdant magic. —Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

contracted from Middle French verdoyant, from present participle of verdoyer "to be green, turn green," going back to Old French verdoier, from verd, vert "green" (going back to Latin viridis, from a base *wir-, whence virēre "to show green growth, be green" of uncertain origin) + -oier, factitive verb suffix, going back to Latin -idiāre, originally representing variant pronunciation (or spelling variant) of -izāre -ize

Note: Latin viridis and virēre have been linked to Lithuanian visti "to multiply, breed," veisti "to breed, rear," as well as to Old English wīse "sprout, stalk," Old High German wisa "meadow," though the semantic connections are vague enough to make this a very tenuous hypothesis.

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

verdant

adjective

ver·​dant ˈvərd-ᵊnt 

: green with growing plants

verdant fields

verdantly adverb