verdant

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The Word of the Day for October 17 is:

verdant   \VER-dunt\   adjective
     1 a : green in tint or color  *b : green with growing plants
     2 : unripe in experience or judgment : green

Example sentence:
     "The green, leafy concert site is nestled between the winery's handsome 
French chateau and its verdant, sculptured gardens...." (Patrick Macdonald, 
_The Seattle Times_, September 1, 2006)

Did you know?
     English speakers have been using "verdant" as a ripe synonym of "green" 
since the late 16th century, and as a descriptive term for inexperienced or 
naive people since the 1820s. (By contrast, the more experienced "green" has 
colored our language since well before the 12th century, and was first applied 
to inexperienced people in the 1540s.) "Verdant" is derived from the Old French 
word for "green," "vert," which in turn is from Latin "virere," meaning "to be 
green." Today, "vert" is used in English as a word for green forest vegetation 
and the heraldic color green. Another descendant of "virere" is the adjective 
"virescent," meaning "beginning to be green." 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.  





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