Xanthophyl

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of yellow pigment found in leaves that contributes to the coloration of plants
2. A carotenoid pigment that gives yellow tones to various plant structures and influences photosynthesis
3. A pigment associated with certain foliage that aids in light absorption and is involved in the photosynthetic process

Etymology: The first half of this word is Greek "xanthos," meaning yellow, tawny, or blond, and the second half is "phyllon," meaning leaf. Chemists combined them to name a yellow pigment found in leaves. Its name is a little misleading. Despite the "-phyll" ending, it is not a chlorophyll, the green pigment that drives photosynthesis. It is a carotenoid, a class of pigments that also colors carrots and egg yolks, and it sits alongside chlorophyll inside the same chloroplasts. That is why leaves turn yellow in autumn. As chlorophyll breaks down, the yellow pigments that were already present become visible. The name reflects what people saw in the leaves, even though the pigment's chemistry belongs to a different family than the green one it outlasts.

Synonyms: xanthophyll