pigment

Pronunciation: /ˈpɪɡ.mənt/

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun dry coloring material (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint, etc.)
  2. noun any substance whose presence in plant or animal tissues produces a characteristic color
  3. noun a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating

Etymology

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.

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
coloring material
Narrower (hyponyms)
ultramarine, verdigris, lake, cadmium yellow, cobalt blue, porphyrin

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