Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
tumescence. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
tumescence, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
tumescence in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
tumescence you have here. The definition of the word
tumescence will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
tumescence, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
First attested 1725, from French tumescence, from Latin tumescēns (“swelling”), present participle of tumēscō (“I begin to swell”), from tumeō (“I swell”) + -ēscō (“I become”) (English -esce, in this form -escence),[1] stem from Proto-Indo-European *tum-éh₁- (“to be swelling”), stative stem of *tum- (“to swell”).
Pronunciation
Noun
tumescence (countable and uncountable, plural tumescences)
- A swelling due to the presence of fluid.
1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6):It is still more remarkable that the reeves also, even in the presence of the males, will court each other and have intercourse. We may associate this with the high erotic development of birds, the difficulty with which tumescence seems to occur in them, and their long courtships.
- A swollen bodily organ; used especially of erectile tissue.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
swelling due to presence of fluid
References
French
Noun
tumescence f (plural tumescences)
- tumescence
Derived terms
Further reading