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effloresce

[ ef-luh-res ]
/ ˌɛf ləˈrɛs /
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verb (used without object), ef·flo·resced, ef·flo·resc·ing.
to burst into bloom; blossom.
Chemistry.
  1. to change either throughout or on the surface to a mealy or powdery substance upon exposure to air, as a crystalline substance through loss of water of crystallization.
  2. to become incrusted or covered with crystals of salt or the like through evaporation or chemical change.
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Origin of effloresce

1765–75; <Latin efflōrēscere to blossom out, equivalent to ef-ef- + flōrēscere to begin to bloom (flōr(i)-, stem of flōs flower + -ēscere-esce)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use effloresce in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for effloresce

effloresce
/ (ˌɛflɔːˈrɛs) /

verb (intr)
to burst forth into or as if into flower; bloom
to become powdery by loss of water or crystallization
to become encrusted with powder or crystals as a result of chemical change or the evaporation of a solution

Word Origin for effloresce

C18: from Latin efflōrēscere to blossom, from flōrēscere, from flōs flower
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
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