Senescent
/sɪˈnɛs.ənt/noun
Becoming old or aging, especially in a gradual or biological sense.
Did you know?Senescent comes from the Latin verb *sēnescere*, “to grow old,” from the same root that gave us *senate*—originally a council of elders.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sen-
“to grow old”
Latin
Latin
senex
“old man; old, aged”
Latin
Latin
sēnescere
“to grow old; to become aged”
Late Latin
Latin
senescentem
“growing old, aging”
14th Century
English
senescent
“becoming old; growing old”
Modern English
English
senescent
“aging; in the process of becoming old”