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lactescent

[ lak-tes-uhnt ]
/ lækˈtɛs ənt /
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See synonyms for lactescent on Thesaurus.com
adjective
becoming or being milky.
Botany, Entomology. secreting or producing a milky juice.
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Origin of lactescent

1660–70; <Latin lactēscent- (stem of lactēscēns), present participle of lactēscere to turn into milk, produce milk. See lact-, -escent

OTHER WORDS FROM lactescent

lac·tes·cence, lac·tes·cen·cy, nounnon·lac·tes·cent, adjective

Words nearby lactescent

lactate dehydrogenase, lactation, lactation tetany, lacteal, lacteous, lactescent, lacti-, lactic, lactic acid, lactiferous, lactivist
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to lactescent

frosted, opaque, pearly, alabaster, clouded, lacteal, lacteous, milk-white, opalescent, opaline, whitish

How to use lactescent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lactescent

lactescent
/ (lækˈtɛsənt) /
adjective
(of plants and certain insects) secreting a milky fluid
milky or becoming milky

Derived forms of lactescent

lactescence, noun

Word Origin for lactescent

C18: from Latin lactescēns, from lactescēre to become milky, from lact-, lac milk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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