Efflorescence
/ˌɛfləˈrɛsəns/noun
The process of flowering or blooming; a powdery deposit that forms on a surface, especially from salts.
Did you know?Efflorescence comes from Latin efflorescere, and the same flower-root appears in words like “florid” and “flourish,” proving beauty and language have been tangled together for millennia.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰleh₃-
“to bloom, flourish”
Latin
Latin
flōs, flōris
“a flower”
Latin
Latin
efflorescere
“to begin to bloom, flower out”
Late Latin
Latin
efflorescentia
“a blooming or flowering out”
16th Century
English
efflorescence
“flowering, blooming; later, a powdery crust or deposit”