chromatophore
[ kruh-mat-uh-fawr, -fohr, kroh-muh-tuh‐ ]
/ krəˈmæt əˌfɔr, -ˌfoʊr, ˈkroʊ mə tə‐ /
noun
Zoology. a cell containing pigment, especially one that through contraction and expansion produces a temporary color, as in cuttlefishes.
Botany. one of the colored plastids in plant cells.
QUIZZES
IT’S A WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ BONANZA!
This windfall of words will make you rich with knowledge. Mine your memory on the words from July 27 to August 2!
Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOTHER WORDS FROM chromatophore
chro·mat·o·phor·ic [kruh-mat-uh-fawr-ik, ‐for-ik, kroh-muh-tuh‐], /krəˌmæt əˈfɔr ɪk, ‐ˈfɒr ɪk, ˈkroʊ mə tə‐/, chro·ma·toph·or·ous [kroh-muh-tof-er-uhs], /ˌkroʊ məˈtɒf ər əs/, adjectiveWords nearby chromatophore
chromatology, chromatolysis, chromatophil, chromatophilia, chromatophobia, chromatophore, chromatopsia, chromaturia, chrome, chrome alum, chrome dioxide
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for chromatophore
British Dictionary definitions for chromatophore
chromatophore
/ (ˈkrəʊmətəˌfɔː) /
noun
a cell in the skin of frogs, chameleons, etc, in which pigment is concentrated or dispersed, causing the animal to change colour
another name for chromoplast
Derived forms of chromatophore
chromatophoric or chromatophorous (ˌkrəʊməˈtɒfərəs), adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for chromatophore
chromatophore
[ krō-măt′ə-fôr′ ]
n.
A specialized pigment-bearing organelle in certain photosynthetic bacteria and cyanobacteria.
A pigment-bearing phagocyte found chiefly in the skin, mucous membrane, and choroid coat of the eye, as well as in melanomas.pigment cell
Variant ofchromophore
Other words from chromatophore
chro•mat′o•phor′ic (-fôr′ĭk) adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.