marcescent

1 of 2

adjective

mar·​ces·​cent

-nt

of a plant part

: withering without falling off

marcescent leaves

marcescent

2 of 2

noun

"

plural -s

: a plant that has marcescent parts

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin marcescent-, marcescens, present participle of marcescere to wither, inchoative from marcēre to wither; akin to Middle High German mern to dip bread in wine or water, Middle Irish mraich, braich malt, and probably to Greek marainein to waste away

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!