Meanings
- alsofigurativelynot comparablerarebiologyWithered, but still attached.
How often is the flower of human life marcescent, tenacious of its old estate when the blooming-time is past.
a. 1893, Edith M. Thomas, The Undertime of the Year, published in The Atlantic Monthly, volume 72 (October 1893), page 4521 more example
“But,” she answered, “granting that Mon Cul is a remarkable creature, that he is the elder statesman among monkeys, that his marcescent eyelids have opened upon sights and splendors about which the most romantic among us only dream,[…]”
1990, Tom Robbins, Another Roadside Attraction, page 75 - not comparablebiologyAble to revive when moistened.
Origin
- Latinmarcescens
- Englishmarcescent
From Latin marcescens, present participle of marcescere.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French marcescent
- marcescentbotany
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
marcescent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marcescent
“marcescent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marcescent. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “marcescent,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marcescent.
Source: marcescent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.