abscisic acid

American  

[ab-sis-ik, -siz-] / æbˈsɪs ɪk, -ˈsɪz- /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a growth-regulating plant hormone, C 15 H 20 O 4 , that promotes dormancy and the aging and abscission of leaves.

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abscisic acid Scientific  

/ ăb-sĭz′ĭk /

1. A plant hormone that maintains the water balance of plants, prevents seed embryos from germinating, and induces the dormancy of buds and seeds. Chemical formula: C ₁₅ H ₂₀ O ₄.

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Etymology

Origin of abscisic acid

abscis(sion) + -ic, on the model of the earlier name abscisin ( see -in ²), coined in 1961

Example Sentences

The engineering process begins with a protein called abscisic acid, or ABA, that helps plants acclimate to stressful changes in the environment.

From Science Daily • Oct. 23, 2023

Not abscisic acid, the one that “abscission zone” would seem to imply.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 2, 2022

Evergreens don’t lose their foliage, but they do crank up production of abscisic acid, or ABA, the hormone that triggers leaf fall in deciduous trees.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2022

Without the opposing effect of abscisic acid, the gibberellins can signal germination.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018

Gibberellins interact with another hormone, abscisic acid, in controlling seed dormancy by inhibiting cell division and halting growth.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018