etiolation

noun/ˌitiəˈleɪʃən/

Frequency rank: #19,997 most common English word

Meaning

The process by which a plant grown without light becomes pale, weak, and elongated.

Illustration for the English word “etiolation”

Example sentence

The plants in the dark basement showed signs of etiolation, with pale stems stretching desperately toward any light.

Synonyms & related words

  • blanching
  • yellowing
  • whitening
  • bleaching

Practice this word in the quiz

More words in ranks 19,901–20,000