Effervescency

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of a liquid when it produces bubbles and froth due to the release of gas
2. The process in which a liquid emits tiny gas bubbles that cause it to foam or fizz
3. A state characterized by the lively effusion of gas within a liquid, producing fizz and bubbles

Etymology: Its root is a Latin verb meaning to boil. "Fervere" meant to boil or glow with heat, and "effervescere" added "ex-" to suggest boiling up and out, like water bubbling over the rim of a pot. The original image was a liquid foaming, and the idea still turns on that picture. English took the adjective "effervescent" from the Latin participle, and "effervescence" followed as its noun. "Effervescency" is a less common noun built on the same stem with the English suffix "-cy", which also appears in "fluency" and "constancy" and turns an adjective into a state or quality. The "-cy" and "-ce" endings competed for such nouns, and "-cy" is the rarer of the two. The noun names the condition of fizzing.

Synonyms: fizziness, bubbliness, sparkling

Antonyms: flatness, stillness