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

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Etymology

Origin of pigment

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

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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

Whether spreading pigment across the desert floor, choreographing participants into a living drawing or appearing in her own films, Albuquerque brings a human presence into environments whose scale can dwarf it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

First created in 1980 in the Mojave Desert, the work involved students spreading red, yellow and black pigment in a geometric pattern more than 600 feet in diameter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 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

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

It occurs when an overactive immune system begins attacking the cells that create pigment, or color, in the skin.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

In the absence of the green chlorophyll, red, yellow and orange pigments protect leaves from sun damage during this delicate recycling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Seven portraits give Anne red or red-brown hair and five show a brunette, but the pigments in the paint may have degraded over time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 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

However, scientists had never conclusively demonstrated that the pigments contained no carbon at all.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

One part of the organism produces a pinkish pigment, now called blepharismin, which is similar to hypericin and certain other photosensitizing plant pigments.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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Related Words

• coloring
• dye
• stain
• tint

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