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chromatophore

 - 5 dictionary results

chro⋅mat⋅o⋅phore

  [kruh-mat-uh-fawr, -fohr, kroh-muh-tuh‑]
Use chromatophore in a Sentence
–noun
1. Zoology. a cell containing pigment, esp. one that through contraction and expansion produces a temporary color, as in cuttlefishes.
2. Botany. one of the colored plastids in plant cells.
Origin:
1860–65; chromato- + -phore

Related forms:
chro⋅mat⋅o⋅phor⋅ic  [kruh-mat-uh-fawr-ik, ‑for-ik, kroh-muh-tuh‑] , chro⋅ma⋅toph⋅or⋅ous  [kroh-muh-tof-er-uhs] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To chromatophore
chro·mat·o·phore   (krō-māt'ə-fôr', -fōr')   
n.  

  1. A pigment-containing or pigment-producing cell, especially in certain lizards, that by expansion or contraction can change the color of the skin. Also called pigment cell.

  2. A specialized pigment-bearing organelle in certain photosynthetic bacteria and cyanobacteria.

chro·mat'o·phor'ic (-fôr'ĭk, -fŏr'-) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: chro·mato·phore
Pronunciation: krO-'mat-&-"fO(&)r, kr&-, -"fo(&)r
Function: noun
1 : a pigment-bearing cellespecially in the skin
2 : the organelle of photosynthesis in blue-green algae and photosynthetic bacteria; broadly : CHROMOPLAST, CHLOROPLAST —chro·mato·phor·ic /-"mat-&-'fOr-ik, -'for-/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

chromatophore chro·mat·o·phore (krō-māt'ə-fôr')
n.

  1. A specialized pigment-bearing organelle in certain photosynthetic bacteria and cyanobacteria.

  2. A pigment-bearing phagocyte found chiefly in the skin, mucous membrane, and choroid coat of the eye, as well as in melanomas. Also called pigment cell.

  3. Variant of chromophore.

chro·mat'o·phor'ic (-fôr'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

chromatophore

pigment-containing cell in the deeper layers of the skin of animals. Depending on the colour of their pigment, chromatophores are termed melanophores (black), erythrophores (red), xanthophores (yellow), or leucophores (white). The distribution of the chromatophores and the pigments they contain determine the colour patterns of an organism.

Learn more about chromatophore with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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