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efflorescence

[ef-luh-res-uh ns]
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noun
  1. the state or a period of flowering.
  2. an example or result of growth and development: These works are the efflorescence of his genius.
  3. Chemistry.
    1. the act or process of efflorescing.
    2. the resulting powdery substance or incrustation.
  4. Pathology. a rash or eruption of the skin.
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Origin of efflorescence

1620–30; < French < Medieval Latin efflōrēscentia. See effloresce, -ence
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for efflorescence

rash, flowering, folding, developing, anthesis, redness

Examples from the Web for efflorescence

Historical Examples of efflorescence

  • And all this efflorescence of sacred splendour was created, little by little, by her deft fingers.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

  • Commerce, then, is merely 'the efflorescence of our agriculture.'

  • The efflorescence and sore-throat were often met with separately.

  • The surfaces of the slates were covered with an efflorescence of alum and sulphur.

  • The time for the efflorescence of some of the faculties is in early youth.

    In the School-Room

    John S. Hart

British Dictionary definitions for efflorescence

efflorescence

noun
  1. a bursting forth or flowering
  2. chem geology
    1. the process of efflorescing
    2. the powdery substance formed as a result of this process, esp on the surface of rocks
  3. any skin rash or eruption
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Derived Formsefflorescent, adjective
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

Word Origin and History for efflorescence

n.

1620s, from French efflorescence, from Latin efflorescentem (nominative efflorescens), present participle of efflorescere (see effloresce).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
efflorescence in Science

efflorescence

[ĕf′lə-rĕs′əns]
  1. A whitish, powdery deposit on the surface of rocks or soil in dry regions. It is formed as mineral-rich water rises to the surface through capillary action and then evaporates. Efflorescence usually consists of gypsum, salt, or calcite.
  2. See anthesis.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.