-escence

1. a suffix of nouns denoting action or process, change, state or condition, etc., and corresponding to verbs ending in -esce or adjectives ending in -escent: convalescence; luminescence.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -escence¹

< Latin -ēscentia. See -esce, -ence

Words That Use -escence

What does -escence mean?

The suffix -escence denotes nouns of action, process, change, state, or condition. It is often used in technical and everyday terms.

The form -escence comes from the Latin noun-forming suffix -ēscentia, meaning “state” or “process,” and is based on the verbal suffix -ēscere, which is an inchoative (also known as inceptive) element meaning “to become, begin to be.”

What are variants of -ēscentia?

While -escence doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the forms -esce in verbs and -escent in adjectives. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -esce and -escent.

Examples of -escence

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -escence is iridescence, “iridescent quality; a play of lustrous, changing colors.”

The first portion of the word, irid-, means “rainbow,” from Greek îris. As we have seen, -escence indicates a state or condition. Iridescence translates to “the state of [being] a rainbow.”

What are some words that use the combining form -escence?

• candescence
• convalescence (using the equivalent form of -escence in Latin)
• efflorescence (using the equivalent form of -escence in Latin)
• luminescence
• phosphorescence
• tumescence

What are some other forms that -escence may be commonly confused with?

• -ence
• -ese
• -esque
• -ess

Break it down!

The word lumen (stem lumin-) in Latin means “light.” With this in mind, what does luminescence mean?