indolebutyric acid

7.5

A chemical people put on plants to make roots and stems grow longer

noun
/ˌɪn.doʊl.bjuˈtɪr.ɪk ˈæs.ɪd/

Specialized

: ácido indolbutírico

To encourage strong root development, the gardener treated the cuttings with indolebutyric acid.

Examples

Researchers found that seedlings exposed to indolebutyric acid grew longer roots than the control group.
Some commercial root powders contain indolebutyric acid as an active ingredient.
The scientist applied indolebutyric acid to the plant cuttings.
Farmers often use indolebutyric acid for better root development.
Researchers found that seedlings exposed to indolebutyric acid grew longer roots than the control group.
Some commercial root powders contain indolebutyric acid as an active ingredient.
To encourage strong root development, the gardener treated the cuttings with indolebutyric acid.

Synonyms

auxin

vsindolebutyric acid

Specialized

1 9.3

A plant chemical that makes cells grow and forms roots and buds

is a synthetic hormone used mainly to promote stem and root elongation

Surface Forms

indolebutyric acid singular

indolebutyric acids plural

Morphology

indolebutyric + acid

While the word 'acid' is transparent, 'indolebutyric' is a specialized chemical term (indole + butyric) whose function as a plant hormone is not inferable by a B1 learner from its parts. The compound denotes a specific technical substance and biological role that requires domain knowledge or prior exposure, so the overall meaning is unpredictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Indolebutyric acid is a chemical name made from two parts, indole, a ring-shaped part, and butyric acid, a short acid. Chemists named it this way because the compound has those parts, and today indolebutyric acid is used as a 'plant hormone' to 'help roots grow'.