virescent

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 19, 2007 is: virescent • \vuh-RESS-unt\  • adjective 1 : beginning to be green : greenish 2 : developing or displaying the condition of becoming green due to the development of chloroplasts in plant organs (as petals) normally white or colored Examples: Buds formed on the bare trees, infusing the stark branches with a slight virescent tint. Did you know? "Virescent" first appeared in English in 1826. It derives from the present participle of "virescere," a Latin verb meaning "to become green" and a form of another verb, "virēre," meaning "to be green." "Virēre" also gave us another adjective meaning green, "verdant," only the route to that adjective takes a stop at the Old French "verdoier" ("to be green"). "Virescent" has seen occasional general use, as when Thomas Hardy wrote, in his 1881 novel A Laodicean, of "[t]he summer . . . tipping every twig with a virescent yellow." But it is nowadays found most frequently in scientific contexts, especially those pertaining to botany. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.