pigment

Everyday

1. A pigment is a substance that gives colour to something, like the green in leaves or the colour of skin, hair and eyes. tree →
2. A pigment is also a coloured powder that is mixed with oil or water to make paint. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils learn that chlorophyll is the green pigment that plants use to catch sunlight in photosynthesis, that leaves change colour in autumn when chlorophyll breaks down, and that melanin is the pigment in human skin, hair and eyes that helps protect from the sun. Chromatography separates the pigments in ink or leaves. In art and history lessons, early artists ground rocks and plants to make pigments for cave paintings.

Examples

• Chlorophyll is the green pigment in leaves. tree →
• Melanin is a pigment in our skin. tree →
• Cave painters made pigments from red earth and charcoal. tree →
• We separated the pigments in a felt-tip pen using wet paper. tree →
• The artist mixed the blue pigment with oil. tree →
• In autumn the green pigment fades and the yellow shows through. tree →
• Some animals have no pigment and are pure white. tree →

Note

Plural «pigments». Adjective «pigmented». A pigment is the colour stuff itself; paint is pigment mixed with a liquid. Do not confuse with «figment» («a figment of your imagination»).