Definition of efflorescence
1a : the action or process of developing and unfolding as if coming into flower : blossoming periods of … intellectual and artistic efflorescence — Julian Huxleyb : an instance of such developmentc : fullness of manifestation : culmination
2 : the period or state of flowering
3 : the process or product of efflorescing chemically
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Recent Examples of efflorescence from the Web
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History isn’t a flawless guide, but periods of economic and political dislocation can actually inspire an efflorescence of culture.
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Donnes had grown up on not just the magazine but also the extraordinary efflorescence of talent and humor that came out of it.
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Donnes had grown up on not just the magazine but also the extraordinary efflorescence of talent and humor that came out of it.
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Donnes had grown up on not just the magazine but also the extraordinary efflorescence of talent and humor that came out of it.
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Collectors, famished by the low-calorie fare of the seventies’ avant-garde, adored the sensuous, cheeky, and grand efflorescence in the painting of the eighties.
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Minimalism and Pop Art rule, with touchstones and variants that celebrate the extraordinary efflorescence of graphic invention in the sixties.
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Though a corpse flower burst into efflorescence just last month in New York, a single titan arum might only erupt two or three times in its life.
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The sudden efflorescence of the tech industry in the late ’90s took us from the desert of cubicles to the milk-and-honey offices of today.
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.
Did You Know?
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.
First Known Use of efflorescence
1626
Medical Dictionary
efflorescence
playMedical Definition of efflorescence
1: the process of efflorescing; also : the powder or crust so formed
2: a redness of the skin or an eruption (as in a rash)
Learn More about efflorescence
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about efflorescence
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