verb (used without object), ef·flo·resced, ef·flo·resc·ing.
- to burst into bloom; blossom.
- Chemistry.
- to change either throughout or on the surface to a mealy or powdery substance upon exposure to air, as a crystalline substance through loss of water of crystallization.
- to become incrusted or covered with crystals of salt or the like through evaporation or chemical change.
verb (intr)
- to burst forth into or as if into flower; bloom
- to become powdery by loss of water or crystallization
- to become encrusted with powder or crystals as a result of chemical change or the evaporation of a solution
“to come into flower,” 1775, from Latin efflorescere “to blossom, spring up, flourish, abound,” from ex “out” (see ex-) + florescere “to blossom,” from flos (see flora).
v.
- To blossom; bloom.
- To become a powder by losing water of crystallization, as when a hydrated crystal is exposed to air.