senescence means the state or process of ageing, especially in humans; old age. It carries an Arena rating of 1607, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, senescence ranks #1,098 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,399 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,955 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,981 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
senescence is pronounced /sɪˈnɛ.səns/.
Why “senescence” is a great word
The state or process of ageing, especially the gradual deterioration of biological function in an organism or its cells. From the Latin senescere ("to grow old"), from senex ("old"), with the suffix -ence denoting a state or condition; first attested in English in the 1690s. Unlike "maturation," which celebrates arrival at full capacity, or "apoptosis," the tidy suicide of a cell, senescence is the long, slow unwinding—a persistent limbo. It is the yellowing leaf that clings to the branch, the stiffening joint, and the quiet hush of mitochondria dimming like embers in an old hearth; it is the quiet truth that everything that grows must learn to decline.
Etymology
From senescent + -ence.
noun
- The state or process of ageing, especially in humans; old age.
- Ceasing to divide by mitosis because of shortening of telomeres or excessive DNA damage.
- Old age; accumulated damage to macromolecules, cells, tissues and organs with the passage of time.
- Fruit senescence, leading to ripening of fruit.
- Condition when the cell ceases to divide.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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