I love the Johannesburg afternoon thunder showers. Yesterday I was caught in one crossing from an open parking lot into a shopping centre. I sprinted as much as I could in slopping along wet paving, to get to some kind of cover. Being literally soaked wasn’t such fun.
But this morning with the gleam of sun I saw how lush my garden is and the word that comes to mind is verdant.
Now I realise verdant is not your common or garden (see the pun? ha,ha) word, so let me reveal its origin.
Often used to describe lush landscapes, rolling green fields, or even youthful inexperience, verdant carries a sense of vitality and renewal.
Latin roots
The word *verdant* has its roots in the Latin ‘viridis’, meaning “green” or ‘fresh’ This Latin root also gave rise to words like ‘verdure (referring to lush greenery) and ‘virid’, an archaic term for green or fresh-looking.
In the Middle Ages, Old French adopted ‘viridis’ changing it to ‘verdoier’, meaning ‘to become green.’ Eventually, this evolved into ‘verdoyant’ in Middle French, which described things that were lush, flourishing, and full of greenery. By the late 16th century, ‘verdant’ had entered the English language, carrying the same rich meaning.
Over time, ‘verdant’ has retained its core association with greenness but has also taken on metaphorical meanings. How about some other uses?
Renewal
- Growth and freshness: After the long winter, the garden was finally verdant again. (renewal, life, vitality).
- Metaphor for Inexperience: The young apprentice was still verdant in the ways of the trade. (describes someone who is fresh, untested, or inexperienced, much like young, green shoots that have just started to grow).
A literary favourite
Writers and poets have long been drawn to verdant for its lyrical and descriptive attributes. The word appears frequently in poetry and prose to set a scene of abundant nature. For example, John Milton in Paradise Lost used verdant imagery to describe the lushness of the Garden of Eden.
Beyond literature, verdant is often used in travel writing, real estate descriptions, and even wine-tasting notes (describing young wines with fresh, green flavours).
I don’t know about you, but I like how the word works – and my garden is loving it too!
Research assisted by AI
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