ef⋅flo⋅res⋅cence
[ef-luh-res-uh
ns]
| 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.
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| 4. | Pathology. a rash or eruption of the skin. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ef·flo·res·cence (ěf'lə-rěs'əns) n.
|
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Efflorescence
Ef`flo*res"cence\, n. [F. efflorescence.]1. (Bot.) Flowering, or state of flowering; the blooming of flowers; blowth. 2. (Med.) A redness of the skin; eruption, as in rash, measles, smallpox, scarlatina, etc. 3. (Chem.) (a) The formation of the whitish powder or crust on the surface of efflorescing bodies, as salts, etc. (b) The powder or crust thus formed.Cite This Source
Main Entry: ef·flo·res·cence
Pronunciation: "ef-l&-'res-&n(t)s
Function: noun
1 : the process ofefflorescing; also : the powder or crust so formed
2 : a redness of the skin or an eruption (as in a rash) —ef·flo·res·cent /-&nt/ adjective
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efflorescence (ěf'lə-rěs'əns) Pronunciation Key
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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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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