chlorophyll
noun
chlo·ro·phyll
| \ ˈklȯr-ə-ˌfil
, -fəl\
, -fəl\
Definition of chlorophyll
1
: the green photosynthetic pigment found chiefly in the chloroplasts of plants and occurring especially as a blue-black ester C55H72MgN4O5 or a dark green ester C55H70MgN4O6
— called also respectively chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b
2
: a waxy green chlorophyll-containing substance extracted from green plants and used as a coloring agent or deodorant
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Other Words from chlorophyll
chlorophyllous
\ ˌklȯr-ə-ˈfi-ləs
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of chlorophyll in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Veins are always the last parts of the leaves to lose their green color (chlorophyll). — Neil Sperry, ExpressNews.com, "Hollow, goop-filled tree needs an arborist’s advice," 30 Aug. 2019 Plants are green because their leaves contain chlorophyll, a pigment that reflects the green light in the middle of the spectrum while absorbing and using for photosynthesis the blue and red wavelengths at either end of it. — The Economist, "New ways to make vertical farming stack up," 29 Aug. 2019 Leaves with no chlorophyll at all, though, are unable to photosynthesize, so there is no point in trying to propagate it. — oregonlive.com, "Ask an expert: Make sure you have enough room to work around grape vines," 24 Aug. 2019 Algae, which can be big like sea kelp or tiny enough to be microscopic, are chlorophyll-containing organisms found in the ocean. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "Can Spirulina and Other Algae Skin-Care Products Live Up to the Hype?," 13 Aug. 2019 Unlike Red Tide algae, blue-green algae are actually microscopic cyanobacteria that contain chlorophyll similar to true algae. — Craig Pittman, sun-sentinel.com, "5 things to know about blue-green algae. (It’s bad. And it’s getting worse.)," 10 July 2019 The bare earth on a little hill across the street looks parched, and the leaves on a nearby tree seem to be clinging to their final supplies of chlorophyll. — Los Angeles Times, "Silver Lake’s Ceviche Project is a restaurant made for summertime," 8 Aug. 2019 Phytoplankton, microscopic algae that contain chlorophyll, require sunlight to grow, like a plant. — Jenny Howard, National Geographic, "Dead zones, explained," 31 July 2019 These compounds absorb the sun’s energy and use it to fuel sugar production just as happens in chlorophyll — only with slightly lower efficiency. — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "Why do some garden leaves turn green, white and yellow? Foliage decoded," 14 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chlorophyll.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for chlorophyll
chlorophyll
noun
English Language Learners Definition of chlorophyll
: the green substance in plants that makes it possible for them to make food from carbon dioxide and water
See the full definition for chlorophyll in the English Language Learners Dictionary
chlorophyll
noun
chlo·ro·phyll
| \ ˈklȯr-ə-ˌfil
\
\
Kids Definition of chlorophyll
: the green coloring matter found mainly in the chloroplasts of plants that absorbs energy from sunlight to produce carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water during photosynthesis
chlorophyll
noun
chlo·ro·phyll
| \ ˈklōr-ə-ˌfil, ˈklȯr-, -fəl
\
\
Medical Definition of chlorophyll
1
: the green photosynthetic coloring matter of plants found in chloroplasts and made up chiefly of a blue-black ester C55H72MgN4O5 and a dark green ester C55H70MgN4O6
— called also respectively chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b
2
: a waxy green chlorophyll-containing substance extracted from green plants and used as a coloring agent or deodorant
Other Words from chlorophyll
chlorophyllous
\ ˌklōr-ə-ˈfil-əs, ˌklȯr-
\
also chlorophyllose \ -ˈfil-ˌōs, -(ˌ)fil-ˈ
\
adjective
\
also chlorophyllose \ -ˈfil-ˌōs, -(ˌ)fil-ˈ
\
adjective
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