senescent
[si-nes-uh nt]
adjective
growing old; aging.
Cell Biology. (of a cell) no longer capable of dividing but still alive and metabolically active.
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RELATED WORDS
elderly, antique, gray, antediluvian, ancient, shot, worn, antiquated, oldie, maturing, waning, crumbling, stale, fading, developing, declining, aged, decrepit, doddering
Origin of senescent
1650–60; < Latin senēscent- (stem of senēscēns) present participle of senēscere ‘to grow old’, equivalent to sen- ‘old’ + -ēscent- -escent
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for senescent
Historical Examples of senescent
I constantly act as phlebotomist to the vanity of the young and to the anecdotage of the senile and senescent.
The Journal of a Disappointed ManWilhelm Nero Pilate Barbellion
On this theme she chanted long and lovingly and a hundred coloured, senescent imageries leaped from the song.
Nights in LondonThomas Burke
A senescent city; mostly antiquated Spanish architecture,—ponderous archways and earthquake-proof walls.
Two Years in the French West IndiesLafcadio Hearn
The gardener slammed the door of the senescent truck with vehement lack of affection.
Greener Than You ThinkWard Moore
Has it not sometimes occurred to you that it is only in the senescent epoch of a nations life that love disappears?
The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 1Elizabeth Bisland
senescent
adjective
Word Origin for senescent
C17: from Latin senēscere to grow old, from senex old
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
senescent
[sĭ-nĕs′ənt]
adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.