entry
efflorescence
/ˌɛfləˈrɛsəns/Bursting into bloom; flowering
From Latin ex- (out) + Latin flor- (flower).
from Latin efflōrēscere with the suffix -ence. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /e.flɔ.ʁɛ.sɑ̃s/ ~ /e.flɔ.ʁe.sɑ̃s/,...
from French efflorescence
+1 more sourcefrom French efflorescence
+1 more sourcefrom Latin efflorescentem (nominative efflorescens ), present participle of efflorescere "to bloom, flourish, blossom,"
from French efflorescence
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin efflōrēscere with the suffix -ence. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /e.flɔ.ʁɛ.sɑ̃s/ ~ /e.flɔ.ʁe.sɑ̃s/,...
from French efflorescence
+1 more sourcefrom French efflorescence
+1 more sourcefrom Latin efflorescentem (nominative efflorescens ), present participle of efflorescere "to bloom, flourish, blossom,"
from French efflorescence
+1 more sourceThis word began life looking elegantly French, but under the silk was a very Roman little machine: a thing pushed "out" into flower. The Latin verb behind it, efflorescere, is just ex- plus flos, the same flower-root that gave us flora, floral, and even the old sense of flower as the best part of anything. By the 1620s, English had borrowed the noun for the lovely, literal sight of blooming; by the 1660s, chemists were using it for the unlovely sight of white salt crusting over stone, as if the wall had decided to flower in the wrong way. That double life is the fun part: one branch opens into gardens and golden ages, while the other crawls across brick basements and damp mortar. So efflorescence is what happens when a root meaning 'out' meets a root meaning 'flower' and decides the outside world should be noticeable.
The Story
This word began life looking elegantly French, but under the silk was a very Roman little machine: a thing pushed "out" into flower. The Latin verb behind it, efflorescere, is just ex- plus flos, the same flower-root that gave us flora, floral, and even the old sense of flower as the best part of anything. By the 1620s, English had borrowed the noun for the lovely, literal sight of blooming; by the 1660s, chemists were using it for the unlovely sight of white salt crusting over stone, as if the wall had decided to flower in the wrong way. That double life is the fun part: one branch opens into gardens and golden ages, while the other crawls across brick basements and damp mortar. So efflorescence is what happens when a root meaning 'out' meets a root meaning 'flower' and decides the outside world should be noticeable.
Kin & Kindred
From 'ex-'·out, forth
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'flor-'·flower, bloom
Derived Terms
English words from this root