verdant

adjective

ver·​dant ˈvər-dᵊnt How to pronounce verdant (audio)
1
a
: green in tint or color
b
: green with growing plants
verdant fields
2
: unripe in experience or judgment : green sense 5a
verdancy noun
verdantly adverb

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

a beautiful, verdant field
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While Halifax’s proximity to the ocean make the city a destination for seafood, the province also produces a colorful bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as biodynamic wines in the verdant Annapolis Valley. Anna Haines, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 An Eden all year round, but exceptionally verdant in March, Sri Lanka has a siren call that's hard to resist. Delilah Khomo, theweek, 10 Oct. 2024 Around late September, the leaves on the maple trees in Vermont are turning from a verdant green to near-iridescent orange and red, attracting hordes of tourists to the area each year. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2024 The verdant fields of Khalily Stables also set the stage for Lauren’s personal vintage car collection and even hosted an immersive pop-up satellite of the famous Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan for the after-party. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for verdant 

Word History

Etymology

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.

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of verdant was in 1581

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Dictionary Entries Near verdant

Cite this Entry

“Verdant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verdant. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

verdant

adjective
ver·​dant ˈvərd-ᵊnt How to pronounce verdant (audio)
: green with growing plants
verdant fields
verdantly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on verdant

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