PHOTOSYNTHESIS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does photosynthesis mean? 

• PHOTOSYNTHESIS (noun)
  The noun PHOTOSYNTHESIS has 1 sense:

1. synthesis of compounds with the aid of radiant energy (especially in plants)

  Familiarity information: PHOTOSYNTHESIS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PHOTOSYNTHESIS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Synthesis of compounds with the aid of radiant energy (especially in plants)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("photosynthesis" is a kind of...):

chemical action; chemical change; chemical process ((chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved)

Meronyms (parts of "photosynthesis"):

light reaction (the first stage of photosynthesis during which energy from light is used for the production of ATP)

Domain category:

flora; plant; plant life ((botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion)

Derivation:

photosynthetic (relating to or using or formed by photosynthesis)

 Context examples 

During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to build new cells.

(Amount of carbon stored in forests reduced as climate warms, University of Cambridge)

Artificial leaves mimic photosynthesis — the process whereby plants use water and carbon dioxide from the air to produce carbohydrates using energy from the sun.

(Artificial Leaves Convert CO2 to Fuel 10 Times More Efficient Than Nature, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A new study, led by academics at the University of Cambridge, used semi-artificial photosynthesis to explore new ways to produce and store solar energy.

(Scientists pioneer a new way to turn sunlight into fuel, University of Cambridge)

Called mycorrhizal fungi, these organisms spread underground for miles, scavenging for nutrients that they trade with trees for sugars the trees make during photosynthesis.

(NASA Satellite Images Uncover Underground Forest Fungi, NASA)

In subterranean environments on Earth called subsurface lithotrophic microbial ecosystems, or SLiMEs, ecosystems sustain themselves not on plants that harness sunlight through photosynthesis but on microbes that harvest electrons from nearby molecules.

(Study suggests Mars hosted life-sustaining habitat for millions of years, Wikinews)

Organisms that are able to produce their own food through processes such as photosynthesis.

(Autotroph, NOAA Paleoclimate Glossary)

The process, which occurs during photosynthesis, transforms inorganic carbon into an organic form, while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

(Carbon hides in sediment, keeping oxygen in atmosphere, National Science Foundation)

Photosynthesis is needed for animal and plant life.

(Photosynthesis, NCI Dictionary)

The extraordinary clarity of these waters allows sunlight to penetrate deep into the water column and support photosynthesis below 100 meters (328 feet).

(North Pacific Ocean fertilized by iron in Asian dust, National Science Foundation)

Over the course of the year, CO2 levels rise during fall and winter and decline during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer as terrestrial plants consume CO2 during photosynthesis.

(South Pole is last place on Earth to pass global warming milestone, NOAA)