chloroplast
[ klawr-uh-plast, klohr- ]
/ ˈklɔr əˌplæst, ˈkloʊr- /
noun Botany.
a plastid containing chlorophyll.
Nearby words
Origin of chloroplast
Related formschlo·ro·plas·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for chloroplast
chloroplast
/ (ˈklɔːrəʊˌplæst) /
noun
a plastid containing chlorophyll and other pigments, occurring in plants and algae that carry out photosynthesis
Derived Formschloroplastic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Science definitions for chloroplast
chloroplast
[ klôr′ə-plăst′ ]
A plastid in the cells of green plants and green algae that contains chlorophylls and carotenoid pigments and creates glucose through photosynthesis. In plants, chloroplasts are usually disk-shaped and can reorient themselves in the cell to vary their exposure to sunlight. Chloroplasts contain the saclike membranes known as thylakoids, which contain the chlorophyll and are arranged in stacklike structures known as grana. Besides conducting photosynthesis, plant chloroplasts store starch and are involved in amino acid synthesis. Like mitochondria, chloroplasts have their own DNA that is different from the DNA in the nucleus, and chloroplasts are therefore believed to have evolved from symbiont bacteria, their DNA being a remnant of their past existence as independent organisms. See more at cell photosynthesis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for chloroplast
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.