The -escent Suffix

The -escent Suffix The -escent Suffix The -escent Suffix By Sharon My five year old is now reading fluently and as a result is asking all sorts of questions about the meanings of words. The other day, she asked why fluorescent bulbs were so named and I realized that I had absolutely no idea, so I set out to find out more about this suffix. It turns out that -escent is used in two ways. The first relates to the play of light and color and is seen in words such as: fluorescent having a type of luminescence caused by the absorption of radiation iridescent having a lustrous, rainbow like play of color pearlescent having a pearly luster opalescent reflecting an iridescent light phosphorescent the quality of luminescence without heat incandescent white or glowing with intense heat luminescent low temperature emission of light The other use of -escent indicates a change of state. Something may be beginning to change, have changed slightly or resemble another object. That use gives us words such as obsolescent becoming obsolete quiescent becoming quiet arborescent resembling a tree effervescent beginning to boil or bubble adolescent becoming an adult convalescent recovering health gradually after being ill florescent beginning to flower Related suffixes are -esce and -escence (as in convalesce and convalescence) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial ExpressionsThe Many Forms of the Verb TO BE50 Words with Alternative Spellings