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[foh-tuh-sin-thuh-sis] /ˌfoʊ təˈsɪn θə sɪs/
noun, Biology, Biochemistry
the complex process by which carbon dioxide, water, and certain inorganic salts are converted into carbohydrates by green plants, algae, and certain bacteria, using energy from the sun and chlorophyll.
1895-1900; photo- + synthesis
Related forms
[foh-tuh-sin-thet-ik] /ˌfoʊ tə sɪnˈθɛt ɪk/ (Show IPA),
photosynthetically, adverb
nonphotosynthetic, adjective Unabridged
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Examples from the web for photosynthetic
  • Most types engage in symbiotic relationships with photosynthetic algae.
  • photosynthetic plankton are microorganisms that turn solar energy into nutrients.
  • But photosynthetic snow algae do thrive in these harsh habitats.
  • The quantum wizardry appears to occur in each of a photosynthetic cell's millions of antenna proteins.
  • The outer membrane is photosynthetic, and large groups of the plants grow in the sunny clearings left by forest fires.
  • It decreased photosynthetic processes in phytoplankton and they could no longer produce enough oxygen for fish to breathe.
  • photosynthetic humans--endowed with the power to derive energy from the sun--are a popular construct of science fiction.
  • The approaches could prove more efficient than using photosynthetic organisms--such as plants and algae--to make biofuels.
  • It is not the only company developing photosynthetic organisms that excrete fuel.
  • The scaffolding protein wraps around the lipid, forming a little disc with the photosynthetic reaction center perched on top.
British Dictionary definitions for photosynthetic


(in plants) the synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water (with the release of oxygen) using light energy absorbed by chlorophyll
the corresponding process in certain bacteria
Derived Forms
photosynthetic (ˌfəʊtəʊsɪnˈθɛtɪk) adjective
photosynthetically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for photosynthetic



1898, loan-translation of German Photosynthese, from photo- "light" (see photo-) + synthese "synthesis" (see synthesis). Another early word for it was photosyntax.

[T]he body of the work has been rendered into English with fidelity, the only change of moment being the substitution of the word "photosynthesis" for that of "assimilation." This change follows from a suggestion by Dr. Barnes, made a year ago before the American Association at Madison, who clearly pointed out the need of a distinctive term for the synthetical process in plants, brought about by protoplasm in the presence of chlorophyll and light. He proposed the word "photosyntax," which met with favor. In the discussion Professor MacMillan suggested the word "photosynthesis," as etymologically more satisfactory and accurate, a claim which Dr. Barnes showed could not be maintained. The suggestion of Dr. Barnes not only received tacit acceptance by the botanists of the association, but was practically approved by the Madison Congress in the course of a discussion upon this point. ["The Botanical Gazette," vol. XIX, 1894]

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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photosynthetic in Medicine

photosynthesis pho·to·syn·the·sis (fō'tō-sĭn'thĭ-sĭs)
The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source.

pho'to·syn·thet'ic (-sĭn-thět'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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photosynthetic in Science

The process by which green plants, algae, diatoms, and certain forms of bacteria make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll, using energy captured from sunlight by chlorophyll, and releasing excess oxygen as a byproduct. In plants and algae, photosynthesis takes place in organelles called chloroplasts. Photosynthesis is usually viewed as a two-step process. First, in the light reactions, the energy-providing molecule ATP is synthesized using light energy absorbed by chlorophyll and accessory pigments such as carotenoids and phycobilins, and water is broken apart into oxygen and a hydrogen ion, with the electron of the hydrogen transferred to another energy molecule, NADPH. The ATP and NADPH molecules power the second part of photosynthesis by the transfer of electrons. In these light-independent or dark reactions, carbon is broken away from carbon dioxide and combined with hydrogen via the Calvin cycle to create carbohydrates. Some of the carbohydrates, the sugars, can then be transported around the organism for immediate use; others, the starches, can be stored for later use. Compare chemosynthesis. See Note at transpiration.

Our Living Language  : Almost all life on Earth depends on food made by organisms that can perform photosynthesis, such as green plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. These organisms make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using light energy from the Sun. They capture this energy with various pigments which absorb different wavelengths of light. The most important pigment, chlorophyll a, captures mainly blue and red light frequencies, but reflects green light. In plants, the other pigments are chlorophyll b and carotenoids. The carotenoids are usually masked by the green color of chlorophyll, but in temperate environments they can be seen as the bright reds and yellows of autumn after the chlorophyll in the leaves has broken down. The energy gathered by these pigments is passed to chlorophyll a. During the light reactions, the plant uses this energy to break water molecules into oxygen (O2), hydrogen ions, and electrons. The light reactions produce more oxygen than is needed for cellular respiration, so it is released as waste. All of the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere today was produced as waste by photosynthetic organisms, especially cyanobacteria, which have been producing oxygen for some three billion years, since their first appearance in the Precambrian Eon. During the dark reactions, the plant uses hydrogen ions and the electrons to make carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. Within the leaf of a green plant, photosynthesis takes place in chlorophyll-containing chloroplasts in the columnlike cells of the palisade layer and in the cells of the spongy parenchyma. The cells obtain carbon dioxide from air that enters the leaf through holes called stomata, which also allow excess oxygen to escape. Water from the roots is brought to the leaf by the vascular tissues called xylem, while the carbohydrates made by the leaf are distributed to the rest of the plant by the vascular tissue called phloem.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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photosynthetic in Culture

photosynthesis definition

Use by green plants of the energy in sunlight to carry out chemical reactions, such as the conversion of carbon dioxide into oxygen. Photosynthesis also produces the sugars that feed the plant.

Note: Green plants depend on chlorophyll to carry out photosynthesis.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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