rufescent

[ roo-fes-uhnt ]

adjective

1. somewhat reddish; tinged with red; rufous.

rufescent

/ ruːˈfɛsənt /

adjective

1. botany tinged with red or becoming red

Derived Forms

• ruˈfescence, noun

Other Words From

• ru·fescence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rufescent¹

First recorded in 1800–10; from Latin rūfescent- (stem of rūfescēns, present participle of rūfescere “to redden”), derivative of rūf(us) red ¹ “tawny”; -escent

Word History and Origins

Origin of rufescent¹

C19: from Latin rūfescere to grow reddish, from rūfus red, auburn

Example Sentences

Description.—Above olive-green; head more or less rufescent; front and superciliaries chestnut-red; sides of head grey, beneath pale ochraceous; breast and sides yellow; throat greyish; bill short and thick, pale reddish, with a black blotch at the base of the lower mandible; feet reddish: total length 6·5 inches, wing 3·3, tail 3·0.

From Project Gutenberg

Description.—Above dark cinereous, rump rufescent; wings black, cross-bands on wing-coverts and edges of outer secondaries rufous; tail blackish, outer web of external rectrix white; beneath pale cinereous; lower belly, crissum, and under wing-coverts white; bill and feet black: whole length 5·2 inches, wing 3·0, tail 2·7.

From Project Gutenberg

Description.—Above umber-brown, more or less rufescent; lores with a whitish spot; wings blackish, all the coverts broadly tipped with pale rufous, forming two transverse bars; outer margins of external secondaries of the same colour; tail brown, but not rufescent; beneath dirty cinereous white, throat and belly brighter, and with a yellowish tinge; under wing-coverts and inner margins of wing-feathers ochraceous; upper mandible dark brown, lower whitish; feet pale brown: whole length 5·0 inches, wing 2·6, tail 3·4.

From Project Gutenberg

Description.—Above earthy brown, with a slight rufescent tinge, wing-feathers blackish, margined with pale brown; whole of the outer secondaries pale brown, like the back; tail and upper tail-coverts bright ferruginous brown; below white, breast and flanks and under wing-coverts pale sandy-brown; under surface of the wing with a broad sandy bar across the basal portion; bill and feet horn-colour: whole length 7·8 inches, wing 4·0, tail 2·8.

From Project Gutenberg

Female brown; beneath brighter and rufescent.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cardinal
• coral
• crimson
• flaming
• glowing
• maroon
• rose
• wine