Etiolations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A process of weakening or pale development due to insufficient light
2. The condition of being weakened or rendered pale, often as a result of inadequate exposure to sunlight
3. The effect of growth occurring in low light conditions, leading to elongated stems and diminished color

Etymology: "Etiolations" is the plural of "etiolation," the state of a plant that has grown pale, weak and spindly because it lacked light. The noun comes from French "étiolé," the past participle of "étioler," meaning "to blanch," and the French verb was itself rooted in "étiole," a word for a haulm or straw stalk. The plural form simply counts individual instances of this condition across plants or specimens. Its origin lies in the sight of a pale, leggy seedling, which French gardeners and botanists described as having been "blanched" by a lack of sun, a picture that the English word carries over unchanged.