Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,727,621,109 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

etiolation

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
e·ti·o·late  (t--lt)
v. e·ti·o·lat·ed, e·ti·o·lat·ing, e·ti·o·lates
v.tr.
1. Botany To cause (a plant) to develop without chlorophyll by preventing exposure to sunlight.
2.
a. To cause to appear pale and sickly: a face that was etiolated from years in prison.
b. To make weak by stunting the growth or development of.
v.intr. Botany
To become blanched or whitened, as when grown without sunlight.

[French étioler, from Norman French étieuler, to grow into haulm, from éteule, stalk, from Old French esteule, from Vulgar Latin *stupula, from Latin stipula.]

eti·o·lation n.

etiolation  (t--lshn)
A pathological condition of plants that grow in places that provide insufficient light, as under stones. It is characterized by elongated stems and pale color due to lack of chlorophyll.

etiolate verb

etiolation
1. the process of growing plants away from the light to make them white and crisp, especially in vegetable gardening.
2. the condition of the plants grown in this manner. See also disease and illness.
See also: Plants
paleness of color as a result of illness or exclusion from light. See also plants.
See also: Complexion, Disease and Illness
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.etiolation - a pale and sickly appearance; "his etiolation signaled years in prison"
appearance, visual aspect - outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
2.etiolation - the act of weakening by stunting the growth or development of something; "the etiolation of the critical tradition"
weakening - the act of reducing the strength of something
3.etiolation - (botany) the act of causing a plant to develop without chlorophyll by growing it without exposure to sunlight; "the etiolation of celery"
bleach - the act of whitening something by bleaching it (exposing it to sunlight or using a chemical bleaching agent)
phytology, botany - the branch of biology that studies plants


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
In these faux obits, McEwen makes hay out of the etiolation of meaning around the otherwise seemingly replete figure of the famous person.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.