lignin

[ lig-nin ]

/ ˈlɪg nɪn /

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noun

Botany. an organic substance that, with cellulose, forms the chief part of woody tissue.

Papermaking. impure matter found in wood pulp.

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Origin of lignin

First recorded in 1815–25; lign- + -in²

Words nearby lignin

ligneous, ligni-, lignicolous, ligniform, lignify, lignin, lignin sulfonate, lignite, lignivorous, ligno-, lignocaine

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

How to use lignin in a sentence

By varying the levels of two hormones in the gel, the researchers controlled the cells’ production of lignin, a polymer that lends wood its firmness.
Wood without trees|Daniel Ackerman|April 28, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Well, this deposit of lignin produced an oxygen surge in the atmosphere.
Why Birds Can Fly Over Mount Everest - Issue 94: Evolving|Walter Murch|December 30, 2020|Nautilus
In the end, over 100 million years of dead trees and ferns and undigested lignin were deposited under the surface of the Earth.
Why Birds Can Fly Over Mount Everest - Issue 94: Evolving|Walter Murch|December 30, 2020|Nautilus
Like tropical rains from a jungle roof, lignin dripped from the vaults, and in falling, burst into flames.
The Brain|Alexander Blade

Down at his feet the spilled lignin formed a widening pool; it threatened to envelope his feet.
The Brain|Alexander Blade
With the third blow the plastics cell cracked and the lignin poured out, a syrupy curtain sliding down.
The Brain|Alexander Blade
They contained lignin-dynamite, with a very cheap clock arrangement for firing it.
The Strand Magazine, Volume VII, Issue 38, February 1894|Various
In the second year the lignin alone increased to the end; the cellulose decreased at the end of June.
Researches on Cellulose|C. F. Cross

British Dictionary definitions for lignin

lignin

/ (ˈlɪɡnɪn) /

noun

a complex polymer occurring in certain plant cell walls making the plant rigid

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 lignin

lignin

[ lĭg′nĭn ]

A complex organic compound that binds to cellulose fibers and hardens and strengthens the cell walls of plants. Lignin is a polymer consisting of various aromatic alcohols, and is the chief noncarbohydrate constituent of wood.