pigment

American  

[pig-muhnt] / ˈpɪg mənt /

noun

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.

---

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

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

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

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

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

Its provenance was certified through methods including X-ray imaging and pigment analysis, he added.

From Barron's • Nov. 30, 2025

Silicone-based materials came into play for his face, soldiers, chest, back and right arm, since the material is clear and can be dyed to match the pigment of the creature’s skin.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2025

He told me about an article he had read, by a white re-searcher who couldn’t deny the truth, about the amazing proper-ties of melanin, the source of pigment in the skin.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• coloring
• dye
• stain
• tint