Meanings
plural tumescences
- countableuncountableA swelling due to the presence of fluid.
It is still more remarkable that the reeves also, even in the presence of the males, will court each other and have intercourse. We may associate this with the high erotic development of birds, the difficulty with which tumescence seems to occur in them, and their long courtships.
1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)Synonyms: tumidity, turgescence, turgidity, turgor, bloatedness, bloating, distension, ectasia
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA swelling due to the presence of fluid.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*tum-éh₁-“to be swelling”
- Latintumescēns“swelling”
- Frenchtumescence
- Englishtumescence
First attested 1725, from French tumescence, from Latin tumescēns (“swelling”), present participle of tumēscō (“to begin to swell”), from tumeō (“to swell”) + -ēscō (incohative suffix) (English -esce, in this form -escence), stem from Proto-Indo-European *tum-éh₁- (“to be swelling”), stative stem of *tum- (“to swell”).
More words from French, Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian оток
- оток (otok)swelling due to presence of fluid
Czech topoření, zduření
- topořeníswelling due to presence of fluid
- zduřeníswelling due to presence of fluid
- duřeníswelling due to presence of fluid
Dutch zwelling, zwelling
- zwellingswelling due to presence of fluid
- zwellingswollen organ
Finnish paisuminen, paisunut elin
- paisuminenswelling due to presence of fluid
- paisunut elinswollen organ
Russian о́пухоль, о́пухоль
- о́пухоль (ópuxolʹ)swelling due to presence of fluid
- о́пухоль (ópuxolʹ)swollen organ
Cite this entry
tumescence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tumescence
“tumescence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tumescence. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tumescence,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tumescence.
Source: tumescence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.