verdure (n.)

late 14c., "fresh green color," from Old French verdure "greenness, greenery, green fields, herbs," from verd, variant of vert "green" (12c.), from Latin viridis "green" (source of Spanish, Italian verde), related to virere "be green," virescere "turn green," viridare "be green," all of which are of uncertain etymology. De Vaan writes, "None of the adduced set of cognates (Lat. 'green', Baltic 'multiply, fruit', Gm. 'sprout, meadow') undoubtedly belong together." The meaning "green plants, vegetation" is attested from c. 1400.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to verdure

farthingale (n.)

contrivance for extending the skirts of women's dresses, formerly also vardingale, etc., 1550s, from French verdugale, from Spanish verdugado "hooped, hooped skirt," from verdugo "rod, stick, young shoot of a tree," from verde "green," from Latin viridis (see verdure). Originally made with cane hoops or rods. The form perhaps influenced by martingale.

verdant (adj.)

1580s, "green in color; green with vegetation," from French virdeant "becoming green," present participle of Old French verdeiier "become green," from Vulgar Latin *viridiare "grow green, make green," from Latin viridis "green" (see verdure). Related: Verdantly; verdancy.

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Trends of verdure

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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verdigris

c. 1300, vertegrez, from Old French verte grez (13c.), verte de Grece (late 12c.), literally "green of Greece," from obsolete French verd, from Latin viridis (see verdure). The reason for it being called that is not known. In other languages, "green of Spain" (German grünspan, Da

bent

The verdure of the plain lies buried deep Beneath the dazzling deluge; and the bents, And coarser grass, upspearing o'er...

Parnassus

Parnassus has its flowers of transient fragrance, as well as its oaks of towering height, and its laurels of eternal verdure...

leaf

Old English leaf "leaf of a plant, foliage; page of a book, sheet of paper," from Proto-Germanic *lauba- (source also of Old Saxon lof, Old Norse lauf, Old Frisian laf, Dutch loof, Old High German loub, German Laub "foliage, leaves," Gothic laufs "leaf, foliage"), perhaps from PI

flea

Old English flea "flea," from Proto-Germanic *flauhaz (source also of Old Norse flo, Middle Dutch vlo, German Floh), perhaps related to Old English fleon "to flee," with a notion of "the jumping parasite," but more likely from PIE *plou- "flea" (source also of Latin pulex, Greek

Christ

"the Anointed," synonymous with and translating to Greek Hebrew mashiah (see messiah), a title given to Jesus of Nazareth; Old English crist (by 830, perhaps 675), from Latin Christus, from Greek khristos "the anointed," noun use of verbal adjective of khriein "to rub, anoi

yield

Old English gieldan (West Saxon), geldan (Anglian) "to pay, pay for; reward, render; worship, serve, sacrifice to" (class III strong verb; past tense geald, past participle golden), from Proto-Germanic *geldan "pay" (source also of Old Saxon geldan "to be worth," Old Norse gjaldo

ineffable

late 14c., "beyond expression, too great for words, inexpressible," from Old French ineffable (14c.) or directly from Latin ineffabilis "unutterable," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + effabilis "speakable," from effari "utter," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex

cracker-jack

also crackerjack, "something excellent," 1893, U.S. colloquialism, apparently a fanciful construction; the earliest use is in reference to racing horses. Compare cracker (n.1). The caramel-coated popcorn-and-peanuts confection was said to have been introduced at the World's Colum

Europe

from Latin Europa "Europe," from Greek Europe, which is of uncertain origin; as a geographic name first recorded in the Homeric hymn to Apollo (522 B.C.E. or earlier): "Telphusa, here I am minded to make a glorious temple, an oracle for men, and hither they will always bring per

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updated on December 10, 2023

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Dictionary entries near verdure

verbosity

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verdigris

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verdurous

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vergence

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