Skip to main content
photosynthesis

photosynthesis

17 3.5
Green plants and some other living things use sunlight to make food and oxygen
  • noun
  • /ˌfoʊtəʊˈsɪnθəsɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fotosíntesis
  • Plants take in CO2 for photosynthesis and give off O2.
  • leaf photosynthesis
  • photosynthesis in plants
  • photosynthesis rate

Plants first made out of sunlight and air and water through photosynthesis.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • All plants create oxygen through photosynthesis, and they absorb carbon dioxide.

    Academic text (2017)
  • When we introduce this plant to the light, photosynthesis will start to occur.

  • Without photosynthesis we cannot get life.

  • If you like photosynthesis, then you should love trees.

  • The tree also uses the process of photosynthesis, which we talked about earlier.

  • Trees absorb carbon dioxide, use photosynthesis to split it up, store the carbon, and release the oxygen.

  • Carbon dioxide affects both the process of photosynthesis and plant leaf resistance to water vapor loss.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Photosynthesis - the process by which carbohydrates are formed in the chlorophyll contained in tissues of plants exposed to sunlight.

  • "More CO2 leads to increased productivity," Rammig explains, "because of increased carbon assimilation through photosynthesis."

    Academic text (2011)
  • Plants use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into energy, producing oxygen in the process.

Surface Forms

photosynthesis singular

Morphology

photosynthesis = synthesis (semi-transparent) = photo + synthesis

The word transparently combines 'photo' and 'synthesis', but the biological process is a specialized scientific term rather than an everyday meaning.

Etymology

Photosynthesis breaks into the parts photo- meaning 'light' and synthesis meaning 'putting together'. So it literally means 'putting together with light', which helps you remember that plants use sunlight to make their food.