pigment

American  

[pig-muhnt] / ˈpɪg mənt /

noun

• pigments
  plural

1. a dry insoluble substance, usually pulverized, which when suspended in a liquid vehicle becomes a paint, ink, etc.

2. a coloring matter or substance.

3. Biology. any substance whose presence in the tissues or cells of animals or plants colors them.

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verb (used with object)

1. to color; add pigment to.

verb (used without object)

1. to become pigmented; acquire color; develop pigmentation.

   a poor quality of paper that doesn't pigment well.

pigment British  

/ ˈpɪɡmənt /

noun

1. a substance occurring in plant or animal tissue and producing a characteristic colour, such as chlorophyll in green plants and haemoglobin in red blood

2. any substance used to impart colour

3. a powder that is mixed with a liquid to give a paint, ink, etc

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pigment Scientific  

/ pĭg′mənt /

1. An organic compound that gives a characteristic color to plant or animal tissues and is involved in vital processes. Chlorophyll, which gives a green color to plants, and hemoglobin, which gives blood its red color, are examples of pigments.

2. A substance or material used as coloring.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hyperpigmented
  adjective
• nonpigmented
  adjective
• pigmentary
  adjective
• unpigmented
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pigments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pigment

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pigmentum paint, equivalent to pig- (stem of pingere to paint ) + -mentum -ment

Explanation

Something's color is its pigment. Technically, all living things have a natural pigment — leaves have a green pigment for example — but the word is more generally applied to human skin color. The other, more technical, use of pigment refers to the substance, usually a powder, that is added to a liquid to give it its color. For example, ultramarine paint is made from a crushed blue silicate that mixed with oil produces a brilliant blue tone. Other pigments were achieved in less pleasant ways. The bright yellow of many Indian paintings? Cow's urine. The red of medieval ox-blood walls? You guessed it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pigment pigments

The researchers emphasize that they are not suggesting chlorophyll, heme, or any particular biological pigment is responsible for Venus's dark ultraviolet features.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

The statue has been patinated with a pigment refined from Lapis Lazuli, a semi-precious stone that has been used by artists for millennia.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

We see the folds best in raking light—directed at the painting from an acute angle—and the fleshy effect was created by the painter zigzagging the wax pigment across her neck in layers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Crucially, the artist did more than simply spray pigment around a hand pressed to the wall, the researchers say.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026

They melt in glass skin-tone pots creating every pigment imaginable: ink black, sandy beige, eggshell white, desert brown, lemony cream, soft sable, brown sugar syrup, and more.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

The research also revealed that the pigments Reynolds used contained lead as well as vermilion, carbon black and one or more iron-earth pigments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

These naturally occurring minerals can produce dark pigments, but they do not contain the organic carbon needed for radiocarbon dating.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Because the effect is produced by the material's structure rather than added pigments, the color remains highly stable over long periods.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

Respectively done on English paper and Indian cotton, each combines techniques from Qing dynasty bird-and-flower painting, Mughal court art and European natural-history studies, not to mention pigments from England, China and India.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

When Xander ran a test on one of my cameras, I observed that he has pale white skin, gray eyes, and hair that my system identifies as having both red and brown pigments.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Related Words

• coloring
• dye
• stain
• tint