Definition of PIGMENT

pigment

Plural: pigments

Noun

  • dry coloring material (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint, etc.)
  • any substance whose presence in plant or animal tissues produces a characteristic color
  • a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating
    • "artists use `paint' and `pigment' interchangeably"
  • Any color in plant or animal cells.
  • A dry colorant, usually an insoluble powder.
  • Wine flavoured with spices and honey.

Verb

Verb Forms: pigmented, pigmenting, pigments

  • To add or apply coloring matter to something.
  • acquire pigment; become colored or imbued
  • color or dye with a pigment
    • "pigment a photograph"
  • To add color or pigment to something.

Examples

  • Chlorophyll is the pigment responsible for most plants' green colouring.
  • If only I could pigment my blank tile with a ’Z’ when I needed it most in Words With Friends.
  • Umber is a pigment made from clay containing iron and manganese oxide.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English pigment, from Latin pigmentum (“pigment”), itself from pingō (“I paint”) + -mentum; variants of this word may have been known in Old English (e.g. 12th century pyhmentum). Doublet of pimiento, pimento, and piment.

Synonyms

paint

Scrabble Score: 12

pigment: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
pigment: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
pigment: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

pigment: valid Words With Friends Word