senescence

Wikipedia

English

WOTD – 7 February 2012    

Etymology

From Latin senescere (“to grow old”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sɨnˈɛsəns/

Noun

senescence (usually uncountable; plural senescences)

1. (biology) The state or process of ageing, especially in humans; old age.
2. (cell biology) Ceasing to divide by mitosis because of shortening of telomeres or excessive DNA damage.
3. (gerontology) Old age; accumulated damage to macromolecules, cells, tissues and organs with the passage of time.
4. (botany) Fruit senescence, leading to ripening of fruit.

Translations

biology: the state or process of aging

• Finnish: vanheneminen (fi)
• German: Alterungsprozess (de) m
• Greek: γήρας (el) (gíras) n , γηρασμός (el) (girasmós) m 
• Polish: starzenie się (pl) n

• Russian: старение (ru) (starénije) n 
• Spanish: senectud (es) f, senescencia (es) f
• Welsh: heneiddiad (cy) m

cell biology: ceasing to divide by mitosis

• Finnish: vanheneminen (fi)

• Greek: γηρασμός (el) (girasmós) m 

gerontology: old age

• Finnish: vanhuus (fi)

• Greek: γήρας (el) (gíras) n 

botany: fruit senescence, leading to ripening of fruit

• Finnish: kypsyminen (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Bulgarian: стареене n, остаряване n

Related terms

• senescent
• senesce

See also

• biological immortality
• senility