tumescent en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /tuˈmɛsənt/ (US)
- /tjuˈmɛsənt/ (US)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Latin tumēscēns (“swelling, bloating”).
Meanings
- Swollen or distended with fluid, as of erectile tissue.
-
Inflated or overblown.
I think that in Gloria MacMillan uses this tumescent language for a comparatively modest purpose — to show how it was between men and women in the war — and the language inflates and perverts his meaning unconscionably.
1982, Arlene Croce, Going to the Dance, page 395:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most tumescent | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more tumescent | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
detumescent · tumescently · nontumescent
Relateds
Synonyms
turgid · tumid · turgescent
Translations (5)
pt intumescente (swollen or distended with fluid) · de anschwellend (swollen or distended with fluid) · mi uruumu (swollen or distended with fluid) · pt tumescente (swollen or distended with fluid) · ca tumescent (swollen or distended with fluid)