Lignin
/ˈlɪɡnɪn/noun
A complex organic polymer that strengthens plant cell walls, especially in wood and bark.
Did you know?The name comes from Latin *lignum* meaning “wood,” and lignin is one of the key molecules that let plants build rigid, woody stems instead of collapsing into soft green tissue.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*legʷ-
“to gather, collect”
Latin
Latin
lignum
“wood, timber”
Late 19th Century
French/English scientific
lignine
“a wood substance; the woody constituent of plant tissue”
Modern English
English
lignin
“the complex polymer that gives wood much of its rigidity”