Other Word Forms
- unverdurous adjective
- unverdurousness noun
- verdurousness noun
Etymology
Origin of verdurous
Explanation
If someone remarks that your backyard is verdurous, they're noticing all the lush grass and shrubbery growing there. And if they call YOU verdurous, it's a compliment — they think you're as vibrant and fresh-looking as those plants! Verdurous is a rather uncommon adjective derived from the noun verdure, a slightly poetic word for lush, green vegetation. And that word comes from Middle French verd, meaning "green." If you know any Spanish or Italian, you might be reminded of the word verde, with the same meaning. All three languages ultimately got their word for "green" from Latin viridis. Next time you're asked to mow the lawn and trim the shrubs, you could say, "But we don't want the yard to look less verdurous!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The amateur botanist Allison Baird manages this verdurous showcase of botanical illustrations of our 50th state’s species — all captioned with both their Latin and Hawaiian names.
From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2020
I puréed the soup and tasted a rich, verdurous spoonful, humming with pleasure at the way it coated my tongue.
From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2019
And up to a million worms, collected as one, become a verdurous mat, bathing like a beach blanket beneath the sun.
From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2018
God surrounds "delicious Paradise" with a "verdurous wall", enclosing his blessed but vulnerable human couple.
From The Guardian • Jan. 29, 2011
Each year shall give this apple tree A broader flush of roseate bloom, A deeper maze of verdurous gloom, And loosen, when the frost clouds lower, The crisp brown leaves in thicker shower.
From The Land of Song, Book II For lower grammar grades by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
