Roscid

Definition: Dewy

Pronunciation: Rawh-sid

Origin:

The word roscid derives from the Latin root word ros, meaning dew.  Roscidus is the Latin form of the adjective dewy, and from there we obtain roscid.  Interestingly the word rosemary derives from the same root word.  In Latin it was known as ros marinus, sea dew, since it often grows in cliffs by the sea.

Why this word?

Spring is here, and with it flowers and mornings that are not covered in frost.  Roscid strikes me as a word connoting the change that spring conveys, the possibilities for growth that come with warmer weather and rain.  I must say that the word itself lacks something of the musicality that “dewy” contains, with its softer consonants and brevity.  Roscid sounds a bit harsher but has the appeal of novelty as well as sounding a bit more serious than dewy.

How to use the word roscid?

“Her roscid bosom quivered before me, lying there on the picnic blanket.”

“The grass, roscid in the early morning light, showed clearly that an intruder had been standing here very recently.”

“Hanging there on the roscid branch of the berry bush was a very somnolent moth.”

The morning breeze, roscid as it gently wafted from the ocean, greeted his nose with the aroma of salt, sun, and breakfast cooking nearby.”