etiolate

[ ee-tee-uh-leyt ]

See synonyms for: etiolate etiolated etiolation on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),e·ti·o·lat·ed, e·ti·o·lat·ing.

to cause (a plant) to whiten or grow pale by excluding light: to etiolate celery.
to cause to become weakened or sickly; drain of color or vigor.

verb (used without object),e·ti·o·lat·ed, e·ti·o·lat·ing.

(of plants) to whiten or grow pale through lack of light.

Origin of etiolate

First recorded in 1785–95; <French étioler “to make pale, etiolate (plants),” probably derivative of a Norman French dialect form of standard French éteule, Old French estoble, estuble stubble; see -ate¹

Other words from etiolate

e·ti·o·la·tion, noun

Words Nearby etiolate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use etiolate in a sentence

I can not believe that, to produce one roseate complexion, she must etiolate a thousand.
The Book of Khalid | Ameen Rihani

British Dictionary definitions for etiolate

etiolate

/ (ˈiːtɪəʊˌleɪt) /

verb

botany to whiten (a green plant) through lack of sunlight
to become or cause to become pale and weak, as from malnutrition

Origin of etiolate

C18: from French étioler to make pale, probably from Old French estuble straw, from Latin stipula

Derived forms of etiolate

etiolation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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