oblivescence
noun ob·li·ves·cence \ ˌäbləˈvesᵊn(t)s \
Definition
- the process of forgetting.
Examples
Even in reasoning, the gratifying confirmatory instance sticks in the mind, while the negative cases all go glimmering into oblivescence.
-H. L. Hollingworth, “The Oblivescence of the Disagreeable,” The Journal of Philosophy Psychology and Scientific Methods, Volume VII, January–December 1910
Would that our sins had built-in qualities of oblivescence such as our dreams have.
Origin
Oblivescence dates from the late 19th century and is a later spelling of obliviscence, whichdates from the late 18th century. The spelling oblivescence arose by influence of the far more common suffix escence. The English noun is a derivative of the Latin verb oblīviscī “to forget,” literally “towipe away, smooth over.” The Latin verb is composed of the prefix ob- “away,against” and the same root as the adjective lēvis “smooth.”
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