Effloresce

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Effloresce \Ef`flo*resce"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Effloresced};
     p. pr. & vb. n. {Efflorescing}.] [L. efflorescere to bloom,
     blossom; ex + florescere to begin to blossom, incho., fr.
     florere to blossom, fr. flos a flower. See {Flower}.]
     1. To blossom forth. --Carlyle.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. (Chem.) To change on the surface, or throughout, to a
        whitish, mealy, or crystalline powder, from a gradual
        decomposition, esp. from the loss of water, on simple
        exposure to the air; as, Glauber's salts, and many others,
        effloresce.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To become covered with a whitish crust or light
        crystallization, from a slow chemical change between some
        of the ingredients of the matter covered and an acid
        proceeding commonly from an external source; as, the walls
        of limestone caverns sometimes effloresce with nitrate of
        calcium in consequence of the action of nitric acid formed
        in the atmosphere.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  effloresce
       v 1: burst forth into or as if into flower; "These manifestations
            effloresced in the past" [syn: {burst forth}]
       2: assume crystalline form; become crystallized [syn: {crystallize},
           {crystalize}, {crystalise}]
       3: become encrusted with crystals due to evaporation