pigment

pigment — noun

1. a natural or added material that makes a living thing or object show a certain c

1.nounC2
Definition

a natural or added material that makes a living thing or object show a certain color

Example

Melanin is the pigment that gives our hair and eyes color.

gives hair and eyes color

The artist mixed blue pigment into water before painting the wall.

blue pigment into water

Common collocations
  • natural pigment
  • skin pigment
  • green pigment
  • pigment cells
Synonyms
  • coloring

    a broader everyday word for something that adds color

  • dye

    usually means a substance used especially for cloth, hair, or other fibers

  • tint

    often refers to a slight shade of color rather than the material itself

Usage Note

Often used for color in skin, hair, leaves, and cells, but it can also mean the coloring powder or material added to paint, soap, or other products.

Common Mistakes

The wall pigment is still wet.
The paint on the wall is still wet.
pigment is the coloring substance, not the finished coat of paint.

pigment — verb

Word family

  • pigmented
    adjectiveC2
  • pigmentation
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, pigment is the technical or semi-technical word for the material that creates color. Coloring is broader and more everyday, so it can describe food coloring or any substance that changes color. Dye is closer when the substance is used to color cloth, hair, or other fibers, and it often stresses the process as well as the material. Tint usually means a light shade or a small amount of color, not the material itself. Paint is the finished liquid or paste you put on a surface, while pigment is one part inside it. A leaf can lose pigment, a shirt can be dyed blue, and a wall can be covered with paint.

coloringdye ↗tintpaint ↗

Etymology

LatinEnglish

English borrowed pigment from Latin pigmentum, a word for paint or coloring material. That Latin noun came from pingere, meaning to paint. The modern English word kept the idea of something that produces color.