Anthesis
/ˈæn.θə.sɪs/noun
The period or stage when a flower is fully open and functional for pollination.
Did you know?Anthesis comes from Greek *ánthos* (“flower”), and in botany it marks the brief, charged window when a bloom is sexually receptive — a real-life “opening” that ancient word-magic lovers would absolutely have obsessed over.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ánthos
“flower”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ánthēsis
“a blooming or flowering”
Late 19th Century
English
anthesis
“the period when a flower is open and functional”
Modern English
English
anthesis
“the stage of flower opening for pollination”
Explore more surprising origins