pigments

pig·ment  (pgmnt)

n.

1. A substance used as coloring.

2. Dry coloring matter, usually an insoluble powder, to be mixed with water, oil, or another base to produce paint and similar products.

3. A substance, such as chlorophyll or melanin, that produces a characteristic color in plant or animal tissue.

tr.v. pig·ment·ed, pig·ment·ing, pig·ments

To color with pigment.

---

[Middle English, spice, red dye, from Latin pigmentum, from pingere, to paint; see peig- in Indo-European roots.]

---

pigmen·tary (pgmn-tr) adj.

---

pigments

• pastel - First pertained to pigment or paste and evolved to mean light or pale colors.
• excipient - An inactive substance that serves as the vehicle or medium for a drug; it is also the material or surface that receives the pigments in painting.
• primary colors, secondary colors - In dyes, pigments, and paints, the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue—which mix to make the secondary colors: orange, green, and purple.
• raw sienna, burnt sienna - Raw sienna is a brownish-yellow earth color obtained from a natural clay containing iron and manganese; burnt sienna is reddish-brown.