PHOTOSYNTHESIS

photosynthesis

(noun) synthesis of compounds with the aid of radiant energy (especially in plants)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

photosynthesis (usually uncountable, plural photosyntheses)

(biology) Any process by which plants and other photoautotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy,

principally, oxygenic photosynthesis, any process by which plants and algae convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy.

also, non-oxygenic photosynthesis, used by purple and green bacteria, heliobacteria, and acidobacteria.

Source: Wiktionary


Pho`to*syn"the*sis, n. (Plant Physiol.)

Definition: The process of constructive metabolism by which carbohydrates are formed from water vapor and the carbon dioxide of the air in the chlorophyll-containing tissues of plants exposed to the action of light. It was formerly called assimilation, but this is now commonly used as in animal physiology. The details of the process are not yet clearly known. Baeyer's theory is that the carbon dioxide is reduced to carbon monoxide, which, uniting with the hydrogen of the water in the cell, produces formaldehyde, the latter forming various sugars through polymerization. Vines suggests that the carbohydrates are secretion products of the chloroplasts, derived from decomposition of previously formed proteids. The food substances are usually quickly translocated, those that accumulate being changed to starch, which appears in the cells almost simultaneously with the sugars. The chloroplasts perform photosynthesis only in light and within a certain range of temperature, varying according to climate. This is the only way in which a plant is able to organize carbohydrates. All plants without a chlorophyll apparatus, as the fungi, must be parasitic or saprophytic. --Pho`to*syn*thet"ic (#), a. -- Pho`to*syn*thet"ic*al*ly (#), adv.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET



Word of the Day

13 January 2025

SOAK

(noun) the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid); “a good soak put life back in the wagon”


Do you know this game?

Wordscapes

Wordscapes is a popular word game consistently in the top charts of both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Android version has more than 10 million installs. This guide will help you get more coins in less than two minutes of playing the game. Continue reading Wordscapes: Get More Coins