xanthophyll
or xan·tho·phyl
Origin of xanthophyll
1Other words from xanthophyll
- xan·tho·phyl·lous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for xanthophyll
esp US xanthophyl
/ (ˈzænθəʊfɪl) /
any of a group of yellow carotenoid pigments occurring in plant and animal tissue
Derived forms of xanthophyll
- xanthophyllous, adjective
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 xanthophyll
[ zăn′thə-fĭl′ ]
Any of various yellow pigments occurring in the leaves of plants and giving young shoots and late autumn leaves their characteristic color. This color is masked by chlorophyll when the leaf is mature. Xanthophylls aid in the absorption of light by capturing certain wavelengths not captured by chlorophyll and rapidly transferring the energy to chlorophyll by boosting one of its electrons to a higher energy level. Xanthophylls are carotenoids, differing from carotenes in having one or more oxygen-containing groups attached. See also carotene.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse