efflorescence

noun

ef·​flo·​res·​cence ˌe-flə-ˈre-sᵊn(t)s 

1

a

: the action or process of developing and unfolding as if coming into flower : blossoming

periods of … intellectual and artistic efflorescence

—Julian Huxley

b

: an instance of such development

c

: fullness of manifestation : culmination

2

: the period or state of flowering

3

: the process or product of efflorescing chemically

efflorescent

ˌe-flə-ˈre-sᵊnt 

adjective

Did you know?

When Edgar Allan Poe spoke of an "efflorescence of language" in The Poetic Principle, he was referring to language that was flowery, or overly rich and colorful. This ties in to the garden roots of efflorescence, a word, like "flourish," that comes from the Latin word for "flower." More commonly, however, "efflorescence" refers to the literal or figurative act of blossoming much like a flower does. You could speak of "the efflorescence of nature in springtime," for example, or "the efflorescence of culture during the Renaissance." "Efflorescence" is also used in chemistry to refer to a process that occurs when something changes to a powder from loss of water of crystallization.

Examples of efflorescence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Beginning in the late ’80s, an efflorescence of truth under the leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin had revealed the full extent of the Soviet Union’s horrific crimes against its own citizens. —Leon Aron, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2024

With the efflorescence of Christianity, a religion rooted in the Old Testament, through the Septuagint, knowledge of the temple spread. —Lynn Whidden, Scientific American, 26 July 2024

The suave, dapper figures in Motley’s pictures are among the 6 million people who escaped to large northern cities from the Jim Crow South during the Great Migration, creating the conditions for an artistic efflorescence across the country and beyond. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2024

This efflorescence of Russian culture was stimulated by contact with European ideas and European works of art. —Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Medical Definition

efflorescence

noun

ef·​flo·​res·​cence ˌef-lə-ˈres-ᵊn(t)s 

1

: the process of efflorescing

also : the powder or crust so formed

2

: a redness of the skin or an eruption (as in a rash)

efflorescent

-ᵊnt 

adjective