senescence
se·nes·cence/sɪˈnɛ.səns/noun
senescence is spelled S-E-N-E-S-C-E-N-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables (se·nes·cence). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, senescence means “The state or process of ageing, especially in humans; old age” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of senescence is senescences.
How many letters and syllables are in senescence?
| Letters | 10: S-E-N-E-S-C-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: se·nes·cence |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is senescence?
Senescence appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce senescence?
- /sɪˈnɛ.səns/
- /səˈnɛ.səns/
Senescence has 3 syllables, split se·nes·cence in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-senescence.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of senescence
- senescences plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does senescence mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state or process of ageing, especially in humans; old age.
- 2
Ceasing to divide by mitosis because of shortening of telomeres or excessive DNA damage.
- 3
Old age; accumulated damage to macromolecules, cells, tissues and organs with the passage of time.
- 4
Fruit senescence, leading to ripening of fruit.
- 5
Condition when the cell ceases to divide.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Senescence in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense biology: the state or process of aging:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Alterungsprozess |
| Portuguese | senescência, senectude |
| Spanish | senectud, senescencia |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does senescence come from?
From senescent + -ence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).