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etiolate

[ ee-tee-uh-leyt ]
/ ˈi ti əˌleɪt /
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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.
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to etiolate

blanch, bleach, diminish, enervate, exhaust, fade, faint, pale, sicken, wan, whiten

How to use etiolate in a sentence

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, noun

Word 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
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