emollescence means that degree of softness in a body beginning to melt which alters its shape; the first or lowest degree of fusibility. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “emollescence” is a great word
EMOLLESCENCE — [Noun] That degree of softness in a body beginning to melt which alters its shape; the first or lowest degree of fusibility. From Latin e- ("out") + mollescere ("to grow soft"), an inchoative verb from mollis ("soft"). Unlike malleability, which denotes a solid's capacity to be shaped under force, or liquefaction, which signifies the completed transition to fluidity, emollescence is the precise threshold of yielding. It is the softened rind of a cheese left in the sun, the just-warm wax that first accepts a thumbprint, or the edge of a glacier surrendering to a season—the quiet, irreversible instant where integrity begins its gentle collapse.
noun
- That degree of softness in a body beginning to melt which alters its shape; the first or lowest degree of fusibility.“emollescence of ice”