marcescent

[ mahr-ses-uhnt ]

/ mɑrˈsɛs ənt /

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adjective Botany.

withering but not falling off, as a part of a plant.

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Origin of marcescent

1720–30; <Latin marcēscent-, stem of marcēscēns (present participle of marcēscere to wither, shrivel), equivalent to marc(ēre) to wither + -ēscent--escent

OTHER WORDS FROM marcescent

mar·ces·cence, noun

Words nearby marcescent

Marcellinus, Marcello, Marcellus, Marcellus I, Marcellus II, marcescent, march, March break, march brown, M.Arch.E., marcher

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for marcescent

marcescent

/ (mɑːˈsɛsənt) /

adjective

(of the parts of certain plants) remaining attached to the plant when withered

Derived forms of marcescent

marcescence, noun

Word Origin for marcescent

C18: from Latin marcescere to grow weak, from marcēre to wither

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

Scientific definitions for marcescent

marcescent

[ mär-sĕs′ənt ]

Withering but not falling off, as a blossom that persists on a twig after flowering. Many oaks have marcescent foliage that stays on the tree through winter.