pigment
n. C / Un. a substance that gives color to things like paint, ink, or even your skin and hair.
n. a substance that imparts color to other materials or organisms through the selective absorption of light.
The artist mixes the blue pigment with oil to make paint.
Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants that allows them to absorb energy from sunlight.
Restoration experts analyzed the chemical composition of the pigment to determine if the painting was an original or a later copy using synthetic dyes.
From Middle English pigment, from Latin pigmentum (“pigment”), itself from pingō (“to paint”) + -mentum; variants of this word may have been known in Old English (e.g. 12th century pyhmentum). Doublet of pimiento, pimento, and piment.
Uncountable when referring to the general substance; countable when referring to specific types or shades.