What does photosynthesize mean?
Photosynthesize is the verb for the process by which plants, algae, and some microorganisms convert light energy into chemical energy. In the most familiar form of the process, they use sunlight to combine carbon dioxide and water, producing sugars that support growth and releasing oxygen as a by-product. The verb may name the organism's activity, as in “algae photosynthesize,” or identify a material being transformed, as in “plants photosynthesize carbon dioxide.” It is most common in biology, agriculture, environmental science, and education, where it describes a fundamental natural mechanism rather than an everyday human activity. Photosynthesis is central to the Earth's food web because it introduces usable energy and organic matter into ecosystems, and it also supports the oxygen-rich atmosphere. The word is therefore valuable for understanding both the survival of individual organisms and the large-scale biological history of the planet.
verbTo make organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water using energy from light. This process is performed by plants, algae, and various microorganisms.
- To produce organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water by converting light energy into chemical energy.
"The oak trees photosynthesize throughout the warm summer months, storing energy in their leaves."
"Marine phytoplankton photosynthesize at a rapid rate in nutrient-rich coastal waters."
"Students learned how plants photosynthesize sunlight into sugars used for growth."
Photosynthesis helped remake Earth's atmosphere—and made the oxygen-rich world possible.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does photosynthesize come from?
The word combines the combining form photo-, derived from Greek phōs or phōtos meaning “light,” with synthesis, from Greek súnthesis, meaning “a putting together” or “composition.” The compound photosynthesis was formed in English in the late nineteenth century to name the process by which light produces organic compounds, and the verb photosynthesize was formed from that noun. The British spelling photosynthesise and the American spelling photosynthesize reflect the ordinary variation between British and American forms of -ize verbs.
Related word forms
How photosynthesize is actually used
Normally used in scientific and educational contexts. It can be transitive when the converted material is named and intransitive when the organism is the subject; British English normally spells it photosynthesise.
Easily confused with photosynthesize
Photosynthesis is the biochemical process, while photosynthesize is the verb describing an organism's performance of that process.