The Collaborative International Dictionary
Turgescence \Tur*ges"cence\, Turgescency \Tur*ges"cen*cy\, n.
The act of swelling, or the state of being swollen, or turgescent.
--Sir T. Browne.Empty magnificence or pompousness; inflation; bombast; turgidity.
--Johnson.
Wiktionary
alt. 1 The act of swelling, or state of being swollen or turgescent. 2 Empty magnificence or pompousness; inflation; bombast; turgidity. n. 1 The act of swelling, or state of being swollen or turgescent. 2 Empty magnificence or pompousness; inflation; bombast; turgidity.
Usage examples of "turgescence".
As the movements caused by the alternate turgescence of the cells in the two halves of a pulvinus, must be largely determined by the extensibility and subsequent contraction of their walls, we can perhaps understand why a large number of small cells will be more efficient than a small number of large cells occupying the same space.
WE have seen in the first chapter that the stems of all seedlings, whether hypocotyls or epicotyls, as well as the cotyledons and the radicles, are continually circumnutating--that is they grow first on one side and then on another, such growth being probably preceded by increased turgescence of the cells.
Increased turgescence is commonly followed by increased growth, so that a plant which has bent itself towards the light during the day would be fixed in this position were it not for apogeotropism acting during the night.
Wiesner denies in certain cases the accuracy of De Vries' conclusion about turgescence, and maintains*** that the increased extensibility of the cellwalls is the more important element.
That such extensibility must accompany increased turgescence in order that the part may bend is manifest, and this has been insisted on by several botanists.