Indicans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Gram-negative bacterium capable of synthesizing indigo dye from tryptophan precursors in the environment
2. A species of rod-shaped bacterium known for its ability to generate the blue pigment indigo through metabolic processes
3. A microorganism that produces indigo coloration through enzymatic conversion of amino acid substrates

Etymology: Indicans is the plural of "indican", a noun for a colourless compound found in certain plants, and the form is the one chemists and dyers use when they speak of several such substances. The singular "indican" belongs to the same family as indigo, the deep blue dye that the word traces back to. Plants such as woad and true indigo carry this compound, which breaks down into the blue pigment when it is exposed to air or processed, so the name points to the dye it yields rather than to the plant itself.