LIGNIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does lignin mean? 

• LIGNIN (noun)
  The noun LIGNIN has 1 sense:

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

  Familiarity information: LIGNIN used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LIGNIN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("lignin" is a kind of...):

polymer (a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers)

Holonyms ("lignin" is a substance of...):

wood (the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees)

Derivation:

ligneous (consisting of or containing lignin or xylem)

 Context examples 

The polymeric fraction of dietary fiber that includes all polysaccharides and excludes lignin and all starch.

(Non-Starch Polysaccharide, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)

The complexity of the chemical structure of lignin can be explained by random polymerizations involving one of four main phenoxyl radicals formed upon the action of peroxidase.

(Lignin, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)

It is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid, fiber, and a compound called lignin.

(Flaxseed, NCI Dictionary)

The variants of Arabidopsis allowed to determine the contribution of different molecules - like cellulose, xylan and lignin - to macrofibril formation and maturation.

(Revealing the nanostructure of wood could help raise height limits for wooden skyscrapers, University of Cambridge)

The building blocks for lignin.

(Lignan, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)

The main building blocks of wood are the secondary walls around each wood cell, which are made of a matrix of large polymers called cellulose and hemicellulose, and impregnated with lignin.

(Revealing the nanostructure of wood could help raise height limits for wooden skyscrapers, University of Cambridge)

A type of dietary fiber for which a complete structure is not well defined in part because the lignin structure itself differs between plant species (I.e., no single structure exists) and because each lignin polymer is formed as a complex pattern of monomeric units attached to protein and to structural carbohydrates.

(Lignin, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)