Dictionary.com

lignify

[ lig-nuh-fahy ]
/ ˈlɪg nəˌfaɪ /
Save This Word!

verb (used with object), lig·ni·fied, lig·ni·fy·ing.
to convert into wood; cause to become woody.
verb (used without object), lig·ni·fied, lig·ni·fy·ing.
to become wood or woody.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of lignify

First recorded in 1820–30; ligni- + -fy

OTHER WORDS FROM lignify

lig·ni·fi·ca·tion, nounun·lig·ni·fied, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lignify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lignify

lignify
/ (ˈlɪɡnɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied
botany to make or become woody as a result of the deposition of lignin in the cell walls

Derived forms of lignify

lignification, 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

Scientific definitions for lignify

lignify
[ lĭgnə-fī′ ]

To make or become stiffer and stronger by the deposition of lignin.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK