Definition of EFFLORESCENCE

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When Edgar Allan Poe spoke of an "efflorescence of language" in The Poetic Principle, he was referring to language that was flowery, or overly rich and colorful. This ties in to the garden roots of efflorescence, a word, like "flourish," that comes from the Latin word for "flower." More commonly, however, "efflorescence" refers to the literal or figurative act of blossoming much like a flower does. You could speak of "the efflorescence of nature in springtime," for example, or "the efflorescence of culture during the Renaissance." "Efflorescence" is also used in chemistry to refer to a process that occurs when something changes to a powder from loss of water of crystallization.

Examples of efflorescence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This is important because floor paint won’t adhere to efflorescence. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Restore a Concrete Patio," 1 Apr. 2020 After each new episode of horror, an efflorescence of coptalk prevents us from imagining any alternative way of defining and enforcing the civil peace. — Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, "The poisonous contradictions of coptalk," 31 Mar. 2020 Since the hotel's restoration in the late seventies by oil and gas financier, J.P. Bryan, the hotel has found a new efflorescence. — Alison Medley, Houston Chronicle, "Hidden near Big Bend is one of West Texas' coolest hotels," 31 Jan. 2020 Jones' efflorescence in the championship run began with the game plans of offensive coordinator Tom Herman. — cleveland, "Ohio State is no David heading into college football playoffs: Bill Livingston," 27 Dec. 2019 Its ostensible mechanism is depicted in an animated video on the product’s Web site, in which cartoon bombs and missiles plunge into a toilet bowl, detonate, and trigger an efflorescence of vines, daisies, and butterflies. — Carina Chocano, The New Yorker, "Suzy Batiz’s Empire of Odor," 28 Oct. 2019 The black costume sparked an efflorescence of alternate, special-use costumes for ol' Web Head—armors, disguises, high-tech camouflage with glowing bits, hybrids with other heroes and so on. — Adam Rogers, WIRED, "Spider-Man Is Back ... But Why All Dressed in Black?," 3 July 2019 As his house pares down, ornament sprouts on his person like an irrepressible efflorescence of his inner rococo. — Kennedy Fraser, Vogue, "From the Archives: Karl Lagerfeld, The Impresario," 19 Feb. 2019 Salles is interested not only in the brief efflorescence of radicalism and rebellion in those years. — Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "‘In the Intense Now’ records an incendiary time: 1968," 27 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'efflorescence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.