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efflorescence

 [ef-luh-res-uhns]   Example Sentences Origin

ef·flo·res·cence

   [ef-luh-res-uhns]
noun
1.
the state or a period of flowering.
2.
an example or result of growth and development: These works are the efflorescence of his genius.
3.
Chemistry.
a.
the act or process of efflorescing.
b.
the resulting powdery substance or incrustation.
4.
Pathology. a rash or eruption of the skin.
Origin:
1620–30; < French < Medieval Latin efflōrēscentia. See effloresce, -ence
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Efflorescence is always a great word to know.
So is addition. Does it mean:
a reaction in which two or more substances combine to form another compound
a colorless, pungent, suffocating, highly water-soluble, gaseous compound, NH3, usually produced by the combination of nitrogen and hydrogen gases
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Example Sentences
  • Lang's gaudy efflorescence was in short supply during an opening set of.
  • They should welcome an equivalent efflorescence of inchoate rage from the left.
  • Now the efflorescence of cable channels has segmented the audience:.
Collins
World English Dictionary
efflorescence (ˌɛflɔːˈrɛsəns)
 
—n
1.  a bursting forth or flowering
2.  chem, geology
 a.  the process of efflorescing
 b.  the powdery substance formed as a result of this process, esp on the surface of rocks
3.  any skin rash or eruption
 
efflo'rescent
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

efflorescence
1620s, from Fr. efflorescence, from L. efflorescentem, prp. of efflorescere (see effloresce).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
efflorescence   (ěf'lə-rěs'əns)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A whitish, powdery deposit on the surface of rocks or soil in dry regions. It is formed as mineral-rich water rises to the surface through capillary action and then evaporates. Efflorescence usually consists of gypsum, salt, or calcite.

  2. See anthesis.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

efflorescence

spontaneous loss of water by a hydrated salt, which occurs when the aqueous vapor pressure of the hydrate is greater than the partial pressure of the water vapour in the air. For example, because the vapour pressures of washing soda (Na2CO310H2O) and Glauber's salt (Na2SO410H2O) normally exceed that of the water vapour in the atmosphere, these salts effloresce (i.e., lose all or part of their water of hydration), and their surfaces assume a powdery appearance. Hydrated cupric sulfate, or blue vitriol (CuSO45H2O), the aqueous vapour pressure of which is lower, undergoes efflorescence only if the air in contact with it is relatively dry. See also deliquescence.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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