albescent

English

Etymology

18th century. From Latin albescens, present participle of albescere (“to grow white”), from albus (“white”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alˈbɛs.ənt/
• Rhymes: -ɛsənt

Adjective

albescent (comparative more albescent, superlative most albescent)

1. Becoming white or whitish; moderately white.
   • 1726, The British Apollo: containing two thousand answers to curious questions in most arts and sciences, serious, comical, and humorous, approved of by many of the most learned and ingenious of both universities, and of the Royal-Society‎^[1], 3rd edition, volume 1, the Bell in Little Britain: printed for Theodore Sanders, page 67:

     This proceedeth from the variety of air (commonly found in islands) which sometimes being moist, sullies and renders the cornelian pale or albescent, after the manner of glass, which when breath'd upon, is clouded with a pale whitish colour, but upon change to a drier air, which will often happen in a moment, the cornelian recovers its former brisk red colour.

   • 2002, Steve Aylett, The Velocity Gospel, Scar Garden 2010 (Complete Accomplice), p. 180:

     Albescent shapes played over the walls, teasing hundreds of drifty pleasures from his brain.

Coordinate terms

• erubescent (“becoming red”), flavescent (“becoming yellow”), nigrescent (“becoming black”), virescent (“becoming green”)

Related terms

• albescence

Translations

becoming white

• Portuguese: albescente

Anagrams

• scentable

Latin

Verb

albēscent

1. third-person plural future active indicative of albēscō