etiolin en · NOUN
Etymology
From German Etiolin; etiolate + -in.
Meanings
-
(archaic, uncountable, usually) A yellow pigment in plants grown without sufficient light; a precursor of chlorophyll.
The formation of a yellow pigment in small grains in the cells of plant structures grown in the dark has long been recognised. The pigment was known to be soluble in alcohol and was called "etiolin" by Pringsheim (1874) because it occurred in etiolated structures.
1924, Katherine Hope Coward, “The lipochromes of etiolated wheat seedlings”, in Biochemical Journal, volume 18.5, page 1123:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| etiolins | Number=Plur | lexicographic |