Definition of VERDURE

The Mult-Lingual verdure

English speakers have had the use of the word verdure since the 14th century, when it made its way into Middle English from Anglo-French. Like the more common verdant, the word traces back to Latin virēre, meaning "to be green." Since the early 16th century, verdure has also been used to refer to a kind of tapestry with a design based on plant forms. The verdure that English speakers sometimes encounter on menus is Italian; in that language verdure refers to green vegetables or to vegetables in general (as in "fettuccine con verdure").

Examples of verdure in a Sentence

a good time to tour the wine country is when it is clothed with the verdure of midsummer a portrait of a fresh-faced teenage girl in all of her youthful verdure and irrepressible joie de vivre

Recent Examples on the Web

Other eats Starting our meal was the verdure agro dulce ($13), a plate of yellow and purple cauliflower, romanesco, green beans, pine nuts and golden raisins sitting in a pool of a sweet vinegary sauce. — Lauren Delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Enzo's Hideaway offers Italian fare paired with prohibition-style cocktails," 14 July 2018 One, dripping in verdure, is that of the cocktail and oyster lounge Maison Premiere, in Williamsburg. — Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, "Seeking a Continental Illusion at Vol de Nuit," 8 June 2018 Cezanne’s painting of the pool in that garden is neck and neck with Corot’s trees at Fontainebleau for sheer smell-the-verdure atmosphere. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "A new show of French garden art at the Met explores the politics of verdant leisure spaces.," 13 Apr. 2018 This classically cool and evergreen creation is framed by Sophie Fedorovitch’s scenic abstraction of spring verdure. — Robert Greskovic, WSJ, "American Ballet Theatre’s Spartan Beauty," 24 Oct. 2017 In her place settings, green glasses echo the verdure in the yard. — Catherine Romano, WSJ, "Host the Most Cultivated Garden Party of the Season," 24 Aug. 2017 Toscana will serve its regular menu from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. along with specials that include tortino di verdure with zucchini, artichokes and bechamel sauce. — Jenn Harris, latimes.com, "Your 2017 Mother's Day brunch guide," 5 May 2017

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