- Today's Word
Effervescent
ef-er-VES-ent
Definition
(adjective) Bubbling with enthusiasm, energy, or liveliness; vivacious and high-spirited.
Example
Her effervescent personality made every team meeting feel like something worth showing up for.
Word Origin
From Latin effervescere — ex- (“out”) + fervescere (“to begin boiling”), from fervere (“to boil or bubble”). The word entered English in the late 17th century, first used literally to describe liquids fizzing and bubbling, before taking on its figurative sense of vibrant personality in the 18th century.
Fun Fact
The word “effervescent” has long been associated with champagne culture — when carbonated drinks became fashionable among European elites in the 1700s, the word quickly leaped from chemistry into social vocabulary. Writers began describing charming, bubbly people the same way they described a freshly poured glass of sparkling wine. Today, personality psychologists sometimes use “effervescence” as an informal shorthand for a cluster of traits including high positive affect, social energy, and expressiveness.
