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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 But his platform is more a symptom than a cause—the latest efflorescence from a root system of distrust that has been in place for many years. — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2022 What can explain the pattern of youthful efflorescence of talent and creativity that burns itself out so quickly, leaving the artist comparatively empty of inspiration just a decade or two later? — Damon Linker, The Week, 4 Sep. 2021 The past couple of decades have produced an efflorescence of techniques for decorating sheds and mimicking nature. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 24 Nov. 2021 Painting and photography dominate, though magazines, texts, and films explore certain scenes, such as a late efflorescence of politically militant turbulence in Chicago in the nineteen-sixties. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2021 The power of human desire provides a good explanation for the Renaissance efflorescence of portraiture as a major artistic theme. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021 The glazed red-and-gray brick exterior was cleaned and treated for plant damage and efflorescence. — Kristin Tablang, House Beautiful, 22 Sep. 2021 Plenty of scholars regard it as part of the larger religious efflorescence that began in the early nineteenth century in the area of New York State that became known as the Burned-Over District, which gave rise to the Second Great Awakening. — Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021 The tragic example of Tbilisi during the Saakashvili years looms large in any such national efflorescence. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2021 See More

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.

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