chloroplast
noun
chlo·ro·plast
| \ ˈklȯr-ə-ˌplast
\
\
Definition of chloroplast
: a plastid that contains chlorophyll and is the site of photosynthesis — see cell illustration
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Other Words from chloroplast
chloroplastic
\ ˌklȯr-ə-ˈpla-stik
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of chloroplast in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some come from the bacteria that were incorporated as mitochondria and chloroplasts. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "We’ve finally gotten a look at the microbe that might have been our ancestor," 7 Aug. 2019 In 1966, Margulis provided evidence that mitochondria, molecular machines that help cells produce energy, and chloroplasts, which help plant cells turn sunlight into sugar, originated from symbiotic bacteria. — Carrie Arnold, Quanta Magazine, "Evolving With a Little Help From Our Friends," 4 June 2014 The nanotube method is far more elegant and even managed to insert genes into chloroplasts, the organelles in plant cells responsible for photosynthesis. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "An Advance in Bioengineering Could Pave the Way for Tomorrow’s Superplants," 12 Mar. 2019 In high tide, when less light reaches the alga, the crystals may capture some of the sunlight and pass it on to the surrounding chloroplasts for photosynthesis. — Kai Kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, "Scientists uncover the secret behind shimmering seaweed," 13 Apr. 2018 For plants, researchers often build two phylogenetic trees: one for the DNA stores in the nucleus of the plant's cells and one for the chlorophyll-producing organelles called chloroplasts, which have their own DNA. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Polynesians may not have gone grocery shopping in South America," 12 Apr. 2018 But the smaller protein is encoded in the DNA of the cell's nucleus and made outside the chloroplast. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "We may now be able to engineer the most important lousy enzyme on the planet," 7 Dec. 2017 The gene for the big protein resides inside the chloroplast, which is simple. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "We may now be able to engineer the most important lousy enzyme on the planet," 7 Dec. 2017 Indeed, these nudibranchs are a lovely bright green, and may in fact be partly solar-powered, though Matsuda notes that there’s still quite a bit of debate on whether the nudibranchs are able to actually draw energy from the chloroplasts. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "Absurd Creature of the Week: This Crazy-Looking Sea Slug Has an Ingenious Secret Weapon," 7 Nov. 2014These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chloroplast.' 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 chloroplast
chloroplast
noun
chlo·ro·plast
| \ ˈklȯr-ə-ˌplast
\
\
Kids Definition of chloroplast
: one of the tiny parts in a plant cell that contains chlorophyll and is the place where photosynthesis occurs
chloroplast
noun
chlo·ro·plast
| \ ˈklōr-ə-ˌplast, ˈklȯr-
\
\
Medical Definition of chloroplast
: a plastid that contains chlorophyll and is the site of photosynthesis and starch formation
Other Words from chloroplast
chloroplastic
\ ˌklōr-ə-ˈplas-tik, ˌklȯr-
\
adjective
\
adjective