Definition of VERDANT

Did You Know?

English speakers have been using "verdant" as a ripe synonym of "green" since the late 16th century, and as a descriptive term for inexperienced or naive people since the 1820s. (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 1540s.) "Verdant" is derived from the Old French word for "green," vert, which in turn is from Latin virērē, meaning "to be green." Today, "vert" is used in English as a word for green forest vegetation and the heraldic color green. Another descendant of "virere" is the adjective virescent, meaning "beginning to be green."

Examples of verdant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Here, they’re made with Southern-style grits dyed verdant green with puréed kale and spinach, then pan-fried until crisp. — Los Angeles Times, "Creole spices add heat to this vegan spin on polenta," 20 Feb. 2020 Dozens of the world's top musicians and entertainers set up shop in their respective living rooms, home studios and verdant yards to take part in the One World benefit concert for Covid-19 relief. — Aj Willingham, CNN, "5 things to know for April 20: Coronavirus, tests, Nova Scotia, small biz, One World," 20 Apr. 2020 Getty Few parts of the world can claim such a range of natural beauty as Italy, from craggy peaks and verdant hills to turquoise waters lined by white-sand beaches. — Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Most Beautiful Places in Italy," 17 Apr. 2020 The steep standard gauge railway takes passengers through tunnels, verdant mountainsides, and foaming waterfalls. — Isabel Garcia, House Beautiful, "These Virtual Train Rides Journey Through the World’s Most Scenic Sites," 16 Apr. 2020 Between Alma Drive and South Watters Road in Allen, West Bethany Drive has a wide median verdant with hills, trees, thick grass and — currently — many, many pockets of bluebonnets. — Shannon Sutlief, Dallas News, "Enjoy the blooming bluebonnets while practicing social distancing," 8 Apr. 2020 And options to experience estancia life abound—from grand properties on the verdant pampas (plains) of Buenos Aires province to luxury getaways among the vineyards of popular Mendoza or the Sierras Chicas foothills of Córdoba. — Dan Sadgrove, National Geographic, "THE BEST OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX," 6 Apr. 2020 Thousands of Golden Gate Park fans headed to the park one by one to wish the verdant expanse a happy birthday. — Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, "Golden Gate Park’s 150th birthday celebration becomes an online-only event," 4 Apr. 2020 Coveting Eilish’s beauty prowess, but not keen on verdant hair? — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, "Billie Eilish One-Ups Her Logo Manicure With an Homage to Burberry," 18 Feb. 2020

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