Photosynthesis

//ˌfoʊ.toʊˈsɪn.θə.sɪs// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any process by which plants and other photoautotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy.; Principally, oxygenic photosynthesis, any process by which plants and algae convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy. uncountable, usually

    "Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy."

  2. 2
    synthesis of compounds with the aid of radiant energy (especially in plants) wordnet
  3. 3
    Any process by which plants and other photoautotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy.; Also, nonoxygenic photosynthesis, used by purple and green bacteria, heliobacteria, and acidobacteria. uncountable, usually

Example

More examples

"Plants need to be in a well-lit place to undergo photosynthesis."

Etymology

From photo- + synthesis.

Related phrases

C2 photosynthesisC3 photosynthesisC4 photosynthesisCAM photosynthesisalarm photosynthesisanoxygenic photosynthesisgreen bacteriapurple bacteria

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.