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chlorophylle

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Etymology and origin of the French word chlorophylle

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound, Coinage
First attested
1817 Pelletier and Caventou More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek χλωρός,φύλλον
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French chlorophylle
English chlorophyll

Pronunciation

  • /klɔ.ʁɔ.fil/[1]

Forms

chlorophylle f (plural chlorophylles)[1]

Etymology

It was coined in 1817 by the pharmacists Pierre Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimé Caventou,[2][3][1] formed from French chloro- + -phylle,[4][5] from Ancient Greek χλωρός (khlōrós, “pale green”) and φύλλον (phúllon, “leaf”).[2][1][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pelletier and Caventou proposed the name in their Notice sur la matière verte des feuilles (1817), for the green matter of leaves, while admitting that they had no right to name a substance known for a long time.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its sense of the green pigment of plants;[6] Littré gives it as a term of chemistry.[6] The adjective chlorophyllien followed in 1874.[2] English took the word from French as chlorophyll in 1819.[8]

Timeline

  • 1817 – Pelletier and Caventou coin chlorophylle in the Journal de pharmacie.[2][3]
  • 1819 – English chlorophyll is first recorded.[8]
  • 1874 – The adjective chlorophyllien is first recorded.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (botany, biochemistry) The green pigment of plants, which plays an essential part in photosynthesis.[5][2][9]

Word family

  • chlorophyllien
  • chlorose

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 642a
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Chlorophylle.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/chlorophylle. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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