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Glite Dictionary
chloroplast

chloroplast

2 5.6
A part of a plant cell with green pigment that makes food from sunlight
  • noun
  • /ˈklɔːrəˌplæst/
  • Specialized
: cloroplasto
  • Yellow, orange, or red pigmentation, as seen in oranges and tomatoes, arises from the conversion of chloroplasts to chromoplasts.
  • chloroplasts and mitochondria
  • grana within chloroplasts
  • chloroplasts in cells

Plants have a an extra small circular chromosome because they also have one in the chloroplasts and the other types of plastids.

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Examples

  • In plants, there is something called a chloroplast that again is involved in energy production.

  • Apparently, light absorbed by the plants exceeded the photo-utilization capacity in chloroplasts.

    Academic text (2015)

  • And then here in the stroma of the chloroplast is where we're doing the dark reactions.

  • Over 40 years ago, DNA was discovered in chloroplasts and mitochondria.

    Academic text (2003)

  • These genes have been shown to be essential for chloroplast division in both mosses and Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Considerable evidence indicates that the structural properties of leaves (apart from changes in chloroplasts) may influence photosynthetic performance.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Stomatal guard cells (with chloroplasts) will receive less intense light on a curved surface.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The chloroplast is where the green pigment chlorophyll captures light for photosynthesis.

  • Chloroplasts are essential for photosynthesis, allowing plants to convert sunlight into energy.

  • In algae, chloroplasts play a crucial role in synthesizing food from sunlight during photosynthesis.

Surface Forms

chloroplast singular
chloroplasts plural

Morphology

chloroplast = chloro + plast (semi-transparent) = chloro + plast

The combining forms hint at 'green' + 'formed body', which partially indicates the organelle's nature, but both elements are specialized scientific morphemes not familiar to average B1 learners.

Etymology

Chloroplast comes from the parts chloro- 'green' and -plast 'formed part', the same root seen in plastic. So chloroplasts are the green parts of plant cells that hold chlorophyll and turn sunlight into food.