tumescent

[ too-mes-uhnt, tyoo- ]
See synonyms for: tumescenttumescence on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. swelling; slightly tumid.

  2. exhibiting or affected with many ideas or emotions; teeming.

  1. pompous and pretentious, especially in the use of language; bombastic.

Origin of tumescent

1
1880–85; <Latin tumēscent- (stem of tumēscēns, present participle of tumēscere to begin to swell), equivalent to tum(ēre) to swell + -ēscent--escent

Other words from tumescent

  • tu·mes·cence, noun

Words Nearby tumescent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tumescent in a sentence

  • The bear, suddenly tumescent, sexually penetrates one of the ubiquitous sandals seen on Russian men anytime in summer.

  • Except for the occasional mosquito, there was no sound save the tumescent sea and his voice.

    Bab: A Sub-Deb | Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for tumescent

tumescent

/ (tjuːˈmɛsənt) /


adjective
  1. swollen or becoming swollen

Origin of tumescent

1
C19: from Latin tumescere to begin to swell, from tumēre

Derived forms of tumescent

  • tumescence, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012