pigment

American  

[pig-muhnt] / ˈpɪg mənt /

noun

• pigments
  plural

1. a dry insoluble substance, usually pulverized, which when suspended in a liquid vehicle becomes a paint, ink, etc.

2. a coloring matter or substance.

3. Biology. any substance whose presence in the tissues or cells of animals or plants colors them.

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verb (used with object)

1. to color; add pigment to.

verb (used without object)

1. to become pigmented; acquire color; develop pigmentation.

   a poor quality of paper that doesn't pigment well.

pigment British  

/ ˈpɪɡmənt /

noun

1. a substance occurring in plant or animal tissue and producing a characteristic colour, such as chlorophyll in green plants and haemoglobin in red blood

2. any substance used to impart colour

3. a powder that is mixed with a liquid to give a paint, ink, etc

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pigment Scientific  

/ pĭg′mənt /

1. An organic compound that gives a characteristic color to plant or animal tissues and is involved in vital processes. Chlorophyll, which gives a green color to plants, and hemoglobin, which gives blood its red color, are examples of pigments.

2. A substance or material used as coloring.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hyperpigmented
  adjective
• nonpigmented
  adjective
• pigmentary
  adjective
• unpigmented
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pigments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pigment

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pigmentum paint, equivalent to pig- (stem of pingere to paint ) + -mentum -ment

Explanation

Something's color is its pigment. Technically, all living things have a natural pigment — leaves have a green pigment for example — but the word is more generally applied to human skin color. The other, more technical, use of pigment refers to the substance, usually a powder, that is added to a liquid to give it its color. For example, ultramarine paint is made from a crushed blue silicate that mixed with oil produces a brilliant blue tone. Other pigments were achieved in less pleasant ways. The bright yellow of many Indian paintings? Cow's urine. The red of medieval ox-blood walls? You guessed it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pigment pigments

The researchers emphasize that they are not suggesting chlorophyll, heme, or any particular biological pigment is responsible for Venus's dark ultraviolet features.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

The statue has been patinated with a pigment refined from Lapis Lazuli, a semi-precious stone that has been used by artists for millennia.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Despite the significant changes in pigment and flavonoid composition, the modified lettuce showed no meaningful reduction in growth.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: This Chanel skin tint features pigment droplets suspended in a water-gel formula to enhance your skin’s appearance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

But after ten minutes of sparking, we see a strange brown pigment slowly streaking the sides of the vessel.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

The approach could create new opportunities for lighter materials while reducing reliance on mined mineral pigments and persistent fluorinated chemicals.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Instead of adding pigments to produce color or applying persistent chemical coatings to control how surfaces interact with water, the researchers build those properties directly into the material's physical structure.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

The research also revealed that the pigments Reynolds used contained lead as well as vermilion, carbon black and one or more iron-earth pigments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

But the clay was dry and there was a colorful palette of pigments in front of me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

In western Europe and elsewhere in Amazonia, archaeologists have radiocarbon-dated the actual pigments used in cave paintings, but that was not done at Pedra Furada.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• coloring
• dye
• stain
• tint