senescence

Advancedzipf 2.51

Pronunciation

/sɪˈnɛsəns/(sih-NESS-unce)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

衰老；老化

Definition

The condition or process of deterioration with age; growing old.

Word family

  • senescent/sɪˈnɛsənt/(adj)衰老的
  • senile/ˈsiːnaɪl/(adj)老年性的

Collocations

  • cellular senescence
  • biological senescence
  • process of senescence
  • signs of senescence

Examples

  1. 1.Research into cellular senescence may hold the key to extending human lifespan. (biological aging)
  2. 2.The senescence of the empire was gradual — centuries of slow decline before the final collapse. (aging, deterioration)

Synonyms

  • aging/ˈeɪdʒɪŋ/— growing old
  • decline/dɪˈklaɪn/— gradual deterioration
  • deterioration/dɪˌtɪəriəˈreɪʃən/— worsening condition

Etymology

from Latin "senescere" = to grow old — "senex" = old — the process of becoming old