viridity
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being green; greenness; verdancy
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innocence, youth, or freshness
Etymology
Origin of viridity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Old French viridité, from Latin viriditās (stem viriditāt- ) “greenness (as of vegetation; youth, inexperience,” equivalent to viridi(s) “green” + -tās- -ty 2
Explanation
The word viridity describes a quality of being green, or a degree of how green something is. You could say that on a brilliant summer morning, the viridity of your front lawn is stunning. Derived from a Latin root meaning "green," viridity is simply an old-fashioned or fancy way to say "greenness," literally or figuratively. In figurative use, viridity and greenness refer to naivety. One explanation of this comes from a green, unripe fruit that isn't yet mature or developed and applied to a person who is new at or unexperienced in something. You may admire the viridity of your lawn, but offer sympathy and guidance to your neighbors whose viridity in gardening currently has their lawn looking a little dry and brown.
Vocabulary lists containing viridity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A crash or a slowdown could end a career, said Michael Tresh, formerly a senior official at Viridity.
From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2012
‘Comatose’ Power Drains Engineers at Viridity Software, a start-up that helped companies manage energy resources, were not surprised by what they discovered on the floor of a sprawling data center near Atlanta.
From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2012
The Viridity tests backed up Mr. Stephens’s suspicions: in one sample of 333 servers monitored in 2010, more than half were found to be comatose.
From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2012
Viridity had been brought on board to conduct basic diagnostic testing.
From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2012
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
