senesce means to grow older; to reach maturity. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 91 out of 100.
senesce is pronounced /səˈnɛs/.
Why “senesce” is a great word
SENESCE — [Verb] To grow old; to reach or show the characteristics of old age, especially in biological contexts. From Latin senēscere, meaning "to grow old," from senex ("old"). First attested in English use in the 17th century. Unlike "mature," which suggests a plateau of readiness, or "wither," which describes a specific, parched decline, to senesce is to engage in the universal, systemic process of aging. It is the methodical browning and dropping of an autumn oak's leaves, the salmon’s body breaking down after its frenzied spawning run, and the quiet, cellular forgetting of how to divide—the long, patient retreat from the bloom of being.
Etymology
From Latin senēscere (“to grow old”).
verb
- To grow older; to reach maturity.“All living organisms senesce.”