phytochemistry

American  

[fahy-tuh-kem-uh-stree] / ˌfaɪ təˈkɛm ə stri /

noun

1. the branch of biochemistry dealing with plants and plant processes.

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phytochemistry British  

/ ˌfaɪtəʊˈkɛmɪstrɪ /

noun

1. the branch of chemistry concerned with plants, their chemical composition and processes

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Other Word Forms

• phytochemist noun

Etymology

Origin of phytochemistry

First recorded in 1830–40; phyto- + chemistry

Example Sentences

There's also phytochemistry and botany, and there are all of these kinds of tangential areas of study that are in the sciences that overlap with herbalism.

From Salon

Tien-chioh Tso, a slight, bespectacled Chinese man, had immigrated to the U.S. to accept a fellowship at Pennsylvania State University, where he pursued a graduate degree in phytochemistry and agronomy.

From BusinessWeek

Tu's detractors, however, point out that using ether and other low boiling point solvents to extract active ingredients from plants is standard phytochemistry.

From Science Magazine