-escence

American  

1. a suffix of nouns denoting action or process, change, state or condition, etc., and corresponding to verbs ending in -esce or adjectives ending in -escent: convalescence; luminescence.

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Usage

What does -escence mean? The suffix -escence denotes nouns of action, process, change, state, or condition. It is often used in technical and everyday terms. The form -escence comes from the Latin noun-forming suffix -ēscentia, meaning “state” or “process,” and is based on the verbal suffix -ēscere, which is an inchoative (also known as inceptive) element meaning “to become, begin to be."What are variants of -ēscentia?While -escence doesn't have any variants, it is related to the forms -esce in verbs and -escent in adjectives. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -esce and -escent.

Etymology

Origin of -escence

< Latin -ēscentia. See -esce, -ence