Cutinize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To develop or acquire a cuticle, the waxy protective coating that forms on the outer surface of plants
2. To undergo the formation of a cutin layer, the protective wax covering that plants produce on their external structures
3. To form a cuticle consisting of waxy substances that provide protection on the surface of plant tissues

Etymology: "Cutinize" is a plain technical coinage: it combines "cutin," the waxy, waterproof polymer that forms the outer layer of plant cuticles, with the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun into a verb meaning to make into, treat with, or convert into the substance named. To cutinize a cell wall or a plant surface is therefore to saturate or coat it with cutin, the process by which plant tissues acquire a protective, water-resistant skin. The word belongs to the vocabulary of plant anatomy and biochemistry rather than everyday English. Its base, "cutin," was named from Latin "cutis," meaning skin, so the term literally describes skinning a plant with its own protective coating. Readers who know "cuticle" will recognise the same root, since the cuticle is the layer built from cutin.

Synonyms: cutinise