inflorescent
|in-flo-res-cent|
/ˌɪnfləˈrɛsənt/
becoming or bearing flowers
Etymology
'inflorescent' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'inflorescens', present participle of Latin 'inflorescere', where 'in-' meant 'in, into' and 'florescere' meant 'to begin to bloom' (from 'flos, floris' meaning 'flower').
'inflorescent' entered English via New Latin botanical usage (17th–18th century), coming from Latin 'inflorescens' and used in scientific descriptions to denote the state of beginning to flower; it is related to the noun 'inflorescence', which denotes a flower cluster.
Initially it meant 'beginning to bloom' (the process of flowering); over time it came to be used more generally for 'bearing or producing an inflorescence' and 'in flower' in botanical contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
less common: a plant or shoot that bears an inflorescence (rare usage; usually 'inflorescence' is used as the noun).
In older texts the term was occasionally used as an inflorescent to describe a flowering shoot.
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Adjective 1
in botany: bearing or having an inflorescence; in flower or flowering (having flower clusters).
The shrub became inflorescent in late spring, its branches heavy with clustered blooms.
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Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/05 06:28