Vocabulary
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evanescent
ev-uh-NES-uhnt · adjective · literary
Fading gradually out of sight, memory, or existence.
time
sensory
GRE
difficulty 4/5
Explain it three ways
From Latin evanescere, 'to vanish' — the same root that gave us vanish itself. The extra syllables slow the word down, which suits it: evanescent things don't stop, they thin out.
In use
- An evanescent perfume you notice only as it leaves.
Origin
Latin evanescere, from ex- 'out' + vanus 'empty'.