pigment

CEFRB2

/ˈpɪɡ.mənt/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A substance that gives color to paint, skin, or other materials.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A dry colorant, usually an insoluble powder.

Examples

  • Make up has often used carmine as a pigment to achieve bright red shades.

  • This pigment is the best.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Wine flavoured with spices and honey.

  2. Any color in plant or animal cells.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To add color or pigment to something.

More examples

In context

  • Chlorophyll is the pigment responsible for most plants' green colouring.

  • Umber is a pigment made from clay containing iron and manganese oxide.

  • Adrenochrome is a pigment.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The artist mixed red blank with oil to create paint for the sunset.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English pigment, from Latin pigmentum (“pigment”), itself from pingō (“to paint”) + -mentum; variants of this word may have been known in Old English (e.g. 12th century pyhmentum). Doublet of pimiento, pimento, and piment.