Effervescent

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌɛfəˈvɛsənt/

Definitions

1. Bubbling with gas or exhibiting lively enthusiasm and high spirits
2. Giving off bubbles of gas as a liquid does when it is fizzy or sparkling ; displaying a lively and joyful manner that energizes others
3. Producing a steady flow of fine bubbles, especially in a drink or chemical reaction ; having an animated personality full of excitement and cheer

Etymology: Long before it described fizzing drinks or bubbling spirits, "effervescent" meant something much more literal: boiling over. The Latin "effervescere" combined "ex-", meaning "out" or "up", with "fervere", "to boil" or "to glow with heat", so the word's core image is liquid rising and spilling outward under heat. The adjective came into English from the Latin present participle "effervescentem", and its earliest sense stayed close to that physical bubbling and seething. Over time the word moved from the kitchen to the mind. Once the image of seething liquid was established, writers applied it to people: a lively, exuberant temperament could be described as effervescent in the same way a warm liquid foams. The metaphor is still easy to hear in the modern sense of brightness and high spirits, which is why the word now seems more about personality than about chemistry.

Synonyms: bubbly, fizzy

Antonyms: flat