Did you know?

English speakers have been using verdant as a ripe synonym of green since at least the 16th century, and as a descriptive term for inexperienced or naïve people since the 19th century. (By contrast, the more experienced green has colored our language since well before the 12th century, and was first applied to inexperienced people in the 16th century.) Verdant comes from the Old French word for "green," vert, which itself is from Latin virēre, meaning "to show green growth" or "to be green." Today, vert is used in English as a word for green forest vegetation and the heraldic color green. A related word is virescent, meaning "beginning to be green."

Examples of verdant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The landscape changes abruptly, blackened bush giving way to the verdant oasis of Gondwana. — Sarah Reid, Travel + Leisure, 25 July 2021 The star of the show is a verdant Cobb Salad that makes the most of the produce that is popping up in the markets, asparagus and sugar snap peas in particular. — Katie Workman, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2021 With our long winters, there are few things Canadians appreciate more than a lovely, verdant garden. — Sandra Macgregor, Forbes, 4 May 2022 The property of George Rosenthal, an 89-year-old real-estate mogul whose holdings include the Sunset Marquis hotel, the hacienda-style home is a verdant oasis of lawns, fountains and vineyards amid the arid Santa Monica Mountains. — Lucy Alexander, Robb Report, 20 June 2021 An image circulating on social media shows verdant, stone cliffs emerging from blue-green water. — Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2022 That’s a verdant expanse equivalent to roughly seven times the footprint of Utah’s capital or slightly more than the entire dry landmass of Salt Lake County. — The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Apr. 2022 Its notes of limoncello and basil add a verdant freshness that serves as a beautiful contrast to the earthiness of the cannabis leaf. — Jihan Forbes, Allure, 20 Apr. 2022 The star of the show is a verdant Cobb salad that makes the most of the produce that is popping up in the markets, asparagus and sugar snap peas in particular. — Katie Workman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2022 See More

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

History and Etymology for verdant

contracted from Middle French verdoyant, from present participle of verdoyer "to be green, turn green," going back to Old French verdoier, from verd, vert "green" (going back to Latin viridis, from a base *wir-, whence virēre "to show green growth, be green" of uncertain origin) + -oier, factitive verb suffix, going back to Latin -idiāre, originally representing variant pronunciation (or spelling variant) of -izāre -ize

Note: Latin viridis and virēre have been linked to Lithuanian visti "to multiply, breed," veisti "to breed, rear," as well as to Old English wīse "sprout, stalk," Old High German wisa "meadow," though the semantic connections are vague enough to make this a very tenuous hypothesis.

Learn More About verdant