lignin - definition, synonyms and pronunciation

Open English WordNet

a complex polymer; the chief constituent of wood other than carbohydrates; binds to cellulose fibers to harden and strengthen cell walls of plantsType of polymerSubstance of wood

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Lig′nin (lĭg′nĭn), noun

Origin: L. lignum wood: cf. F. lignine.

Botany A substance characterizing wood cells and differing from cellulose in its conduct with certain chemical reagents.

☞ Recent authors have distinguished four forms of this substance, naming them lignose, lignin, lignone, and lignireose.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54