Meanings
plural tenebrescences
- uncountableusuallynatural sciencesReversible photochromism; the ability of a material to change colour when exposed to sunlight.
1 more example
Most fundamental investigations of tenebrescence have dealt exclusively with the alkali halides, since, in addition to their relative simplicity, they were readily available in large single crystals of high optical purity. The reversible discoloration of alkali halides was originally observed by E. Goldstein late in the last century.
1954, The American Mineralogist, volume 39, page 616
Origin
- Latintenebrēscēns
- Englishtenebrescence
Learned borrowing from Latin tenebrēscēns, present participle of tenebrēscere (“to grow dark”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tenebrescence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenebrescence
“tenebrescence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenebrescence. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tenebrescence,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenebrescence.
Source: tenebrescence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.