Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Lacking hair or a similar growth: Describes a surface that is becoming smooth or bald, having very little hair or down.
   • Tending to become hairless: Indicates a process or state where hair or a hairy covering is being lost or is naturally sparse.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The plant's stem is glabrescent, with only a few fine hairs near the base.
  • As the fruit matures, its skin becomes glabrescent and smooth to the touch.

Advanced Usage

• Botanical Context: Commonly used in botanical descriptions to specify plant parts (like stems, leaves, or fruits) that are nearly smooth or in the process of losing their hairy covering.
  • The leaf's upper surface is described as glabrescent, meaning it is almost hairless compared to the densely hairy underside.

Variants and Related Words

• Glabrous (adj): Completely smooth, without any hairs or projections.
  • In contrast to the glabrescent stem, the mature leaf is entirely glabrous.

Synonyms

• Baldish: Somewhat bald.
• Depilous: Lacking hair.
• Sparsely haired: Having hair thinly scattered.

Antonyms

• Hirsute: Hairy, covered with coarse or stiff hairs.
• Pilose: Covered with soft, distinct hairs.
• Pubescent: Covered with short, soft hairs; downy.

Adjective

1. lacking hair or a similar growth or tending to become hairless