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!
Word Nerds Unite!
Read More Word of the Week Posts
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. Having successfully launched two homeschool grads, she now spends her time writing fiction, 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, as well as a fantasy series and contemporary mysteries and romances. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. 
I saw your “Word of the Week” for “Frondescence” and I love this “new-to-me” word!
So, I wrote my weekly blog (mostly poems) this week on “Frondescence.” Thank you for the inspiration!! 🙂
https://forjustaweed.com/2026/05/02/frondescence/
Oh, how fun! Thank you for sharing the poem–love it!