Dictionary.com

recrudesce

[ ree-kroo-des ]
/ ˌri kruˈdɛs /
Save This Word!

verb (used without object), re·cru·desced, re·cru·desc·ing.
to break out afresh, as a sore, a disease, or anything else that has been quiescent.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Origin of recrudesce

1880–85; <Latin recrūdēscere to become raw again, equivalent to re-re- + crūdēscere to grow harsh, worse (crūd(us) bloody (see crude) + -ēscere inchoative suffix)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use recrudesce in a sentence

  • It was noticeable that in these rambling soliloquies his English seemed to recrudesce into better construction and phraseology.

    The Scarlet Plague|Jack London
  • Nor from within the darkened chamber of himself could reality recrudesce.

    The Red One|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for recrudesce

recrudesce
/ (ˌriːkruːˈdɛs) /

verb
(intr) (of a disease, trouble, etc) to break out or appear again after a period of dormancy; recur

Derived forms of recrudesce

recrudescence, nounrecrudescent, adjective

Word Origin for recrudesce

C19: from Latin recrūdēscere to become raw again, from re- + crūdēscere to grow worse, from crūdus bloody, raw; see crude
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
FEEDBACK