etiolate
[ ee-tee-uh-leyt ]
/ ˈi ti əˌleɪt /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Origin of etiolate
OTHER WORDS FROM etiolate
e·ti·o·la·tion, nounWords nearby etiolate
ETI, etic, e-ticket, etidronate disodium, Étienne, etiolate, etiolation, etiologic, etiology, etiquette, Etna
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for etiolate
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
Derived forms of etiolate
etiolation, nounWord Origin for etiolate
C18: from French étioler to make pale, probably from Old French estuble straw, from Latin stipula
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