effusion

noun ef·fu·sion \ i-ˈfyü-zhən , e- \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

1 : an act of effusing

2 : unrestrained expression of words or feelings

greeted her with great effusion
—Olive H. Prouty

3 a (1) : the escape of a fluid from anatomical vessels by rupture or exudation

(2) : the flow of a gas through an aperture whose diameter is small as compared with the distance between the molecules of the gas

b : the fluid that escapes

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Examples of effusion in a Sentence

Her poetic effusions became tiresome.

Recent Examples of effusion from the Web

The trademark of a Kennedy opinion was a verbal effusion that gestured toward profundity without overcoming confusion.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Abortion is already emerging as a top issue in the midterms with Supreme Court vacancy," 29 June 2018
Beyond simply delighting the ear and intellect, his aim seemed to be to generate excitement, to yield to the music's effusion and keep listeners in a state of breathless engagement.

— zachary lewis, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Orchestra's 'Prometheus Project' gets off to fiery start: review," 11 May 2018
The hot effusions are continually retouching the tropical landscape, a haven for native birds and endemic species such as a meat-eating caterpillar, a lava-loving cricket and the world's rarest goose.

— andrea sachs, chicagotribune.com, "This summer, stop by the 23 U.S. locales that have risen to become UNESCO World Heritage sites," 4 May 2018
The impact left Rand with six broken ribs, three displaced, pleural effusion and now pneumonia.

— james freeman, WSJ, "#RandToo," 8 Dec. 2017
The campuses of the West too often loosen up the politics of the young through such immoral effusions.

— douglas murray, National Review, "The Russian Revolution, 100 Years On: Its Enduring Allure and Menace," 30 Oct. 2017
Carlyle’s effusions were textbook examples of early Romanticism: the artist as uniquely capable of seeing the world; the assumption that beauty and truth are irrevocably tangled together.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "In the Valley of the Open Secret," 11 Oct. 2017
Carlyle’s effusions were textbook examples of early Romanticism: the artist as uniquely capable of seeing the world

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "In the Valley of the Open Secret," 11 Oct. 2017
The only way to process such tortured effusion is to remember James Comey.

— author: kathleen parker, Alaska Dispatch News, "In his head, not ours," 20 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of effusion

Middle English effusioun "emission, shedding," borrowed from Anglo-French effusiun, borrowed from Latin effūsiōn-, effūsiō, from effud-, variant stem of effundere "to pour out, discharge, expend" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at ¹effuse

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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