florescence

noun

flo·​res·​cence flȯ-ˈre-sᵊn(t)s 

flə-

: a state or period of flourishing

florescent

flȯ-ˈre-sᵊnt 

flə-

adjective

Did you know?

The flowering of botany as a science in the 18th century produced a garden of English words, mostly adapted from Latin. Florescence is a radiant example, picked from the Latin flōrēscentia, meaning "blossoming." Botanists used it as a showy word to refer to the blooming of a flower. Less literal types appreciated the word too, and applied florescence to anything that seemed to be thriving or flourishing, as in "the highest florescence of a civilization." Flōrēscentia bloomed originally from Latin flōr- or flōs, meaning "flower" and "bloom" (among other things), which English has also to thank for flourish, florid, flora, and flower itself. The list unfurls bounty; from Florida to Florence, flōr-, flōs descendants thrive in abundance.

Synonyms

• bloom
• blossom
• floruit
• flower
• flush
• heyday
• high noon
• prime
• salad days
• springtime

Examples of florescence in a Sentence

the florescence of Mayan art in the seventh century A.D.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin flōrēscentia, noun derivative of Latin flōrēscent-, flōrēscens, present participle of flōrēscere "to begin to flower, increase in vigor," inchoative derivative of flōrēre "to bloom, prosper, be at the peak of one's powers," stative verbal derivative of flōr-, flōs flower entry 1

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined above

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