The world outside my window is in full bloom, so I went hunting for springtime words to feature. And I landed on this one, not because of its fascinating history, but because the word itself is so lovely.
Frondescence.
Ever heard of this one? It means, quite simply, “the condition or period of unfolding leaves.”
It traces its roots directly back to the Latin frondescere, which means “to become leafy,” and I’m of the opinion that it isn’t used NEARLY enough. So let’s remedy that shall we? Now–go thee hither and enjoy the frondescence!






Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.