etiolate

[ ee-tee-uh-leyt ]
/ ˈi ti əˌleɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR etiolate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), e·ti·o·lat·ed, e·ti·o·lat·ing.

to cause (a plant) to whiten or grow pale by excluding light: to etiolate celery.
to cause to become weakened or sickly; drain of color or vigor.

verb (used without object), e·ti·o·lat·ed, e·ti·o·lat·ing.

(of plants) to whiten or grow pale through lack of light.

Origin of etiolate

1785–95; < French étioler to make pale, etiolate (plants), probably derivative, based on N French dial. forms, of standard French éteule, Old French estoble, estuble stubble; see -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM etiolate

e·ti·o·la·tion, noun

Words nearby etiolate

ethynyl group, ethynylation, eti, etic, etidronate disodium, etiolate, etiolation, etiologic, etiology, etiquette, etna

Words related to etiolate

blanch, wan, exhaust, faint, sicken, whiten, fade, bleach, diminish, enervate, pale

Example sentences from the Web for etiolate

  • I can not believe that, to produce one roseate complexion, she must etiolate a thousand.

    The Book of Khalid |Ameen Rihani

British Dictionary definitions for etiolate

etiolate
/ (ˈiːtɪəʊˌleɪt) /

verb

botany to whiten (a green plant) through lack of sunlight
to become or cause to become pale and weak, as from malnutrition

Derived forms of etiolate

etiolation, noun

Word Origin for etiolate

C18: from French étioler to make pale, probably from Old French estuble straw, from Latin stipula

Scientific definitions for etiolate

etiolation
[ ē′tē-ə-lā′shən ]

A pathological condition of plants that grow in places that provide insufficient light, as under stones. It is characterized by elongated stems and pale color due to lack of chlorophyll.

Other words from etiolation

etiolate verb