Definition of VERDANT

Synonyms & Antonyms for verdant

Synonyms

Antonyms

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

In a surprise turn of events, Grande walks across a thin copper wire over a field, holding onto large balloons that seemingly help her defy gravity and float like a gymnast over the verdant scene. — Connor Whittum, Billboard, "Ariana Grande's Epic 'God Is a Woman' Video, Decoded," 13 July 2018 Take an artful break from Michigan Avenue On the south end of the Art Institute — arguably one of the most crowded tourist destinations in the city — is a verdant oasis perfect for sneaking away from the hustle and bustle of Michigan Avenue. — chicagotribune.com, "Secret Chicago: 40 of the city's best-kept mystery spots," 1 May 2018 In his native Italy, garden designer Luciano Giubbilei has created a verdant oasis that grows under the Tuscan sun. — Andrew Montgomery, Vogue, "Under the Tuscan Sun: Garden Designer Luciano Giubbilei's Italian Oasis," 21 Mar. 2018 Whereas in Colombia, the hippos have got all the rain all year-round, verdant fields to graze in, no hippos to compete with and no predators. — Steve Mirsky, Scientific American, "A Look at the Inner Lives of 13 Species of Animals You Think You Know," 13 July 2018 And with the government laser-focused on developing oil and gas, the province’s famous verdant farmlands have been devastated, even as Basrawis, as the people of Basra are known, have little to show for it. — Nabih Bulos, latimes.com, "Basra was once a jewel of a city. Now it's a symbol what's wrong in Iraq," 17 June 2018 In rainy, verdant 2010, Van der Lee and his wife, Monique, purchased a distressed vineyard in Temecula. — Nicole Miller-coleman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "As attention on Vinduino grows, so does its market," 7 July 2018 Decorate with fragrant potted trees and topiaries to bring a verdant atmosphere into your home, turning your living room into an interactive game room. — ELLE Decor, "Now *This* Is How You Throw a Grown-Up Pool Party," 6 July 2018 Their dreams of a verdant West needed to be tempered and shaped to reality. — John F. Ross, Smithsonian, "The Visionary John Wesley Powell Had a Plan for Developing the West, But Nobody Listened," 3 July 2018

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.

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