rufescent

[roo-fes-uh nt]

See more synonyms for rufescent on Thesaurus.com

adjective

somewhat reddish; tinged with red; rufous.

Origin of rufescent

1810–20; < Latin rūfēscent- (stem of rūfēscēns, present participle of rūfēscere to redden), equivalent to rūf(us) red¹, tawny + -ēsc- inchoative suffix + -ent- -ent

Related formsru·fes·cence, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for rufescent

rose, flaming, maroon, glowing, cardinal, crimson, coral, wine, pink, cherry, sanguine, carmine, brick, blooming, blush, rust, copper, russet, puce, bittersweet

Examples from the Web for rufescent

Historical Examples of rufescent

The gills are notched, crowded, pallid or rufescent, narrow.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
The gills are annulato-adnexed, distant, rufescent with a yellow tinge.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
The rufescent ant has lost even the very power of feeding itself.
Falling in Love
Grant Allen
Similar to No. 758, but back, tail, and flanks without brownish or rufescent tinge.
Color Key to North American Birds
Frank M. Chapman
Above dusky slate colour with rufescent tips to the fur; beneath paler, with a faint rufous tinge about the breast (Jerdon).
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon
Robert A. Sterndale

British Dictionary definitions for rufescent

rufescent

adjective

botany tinged with red or becoming red

Derived Formsrufescence, noun

Word Origin for rufescent

C19: from Latin rūfescere to grow reddish, from rūfus red, auburn

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