abscisic acid

[ ab-sis-ik, -siz- ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. a growth-regulating plant hormone, C 15 H 20 O 4 , that promotes dormancy and the aging and abscission of leaves.

abscisic acid

/ ăb-sĭz′ĭk /

1. A plant hormone that maintains the water balance of plants, prevents seed embryos from germinating, and induces the dormancy of buds and seeds. Chemical formula: C 15 H 20 O 4 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of abscisic acid¹

abscis(sion) + -ic, on the model of the earlier name abscisin ( -in ² ), coined in 1961

Example Sentences

The engineering process begins with a protein called abscisic acid, or ABA, that helps plants acclimate to stressful changes in the environment.

From Science Daily

Not abscisic acid, the one that “abscission zone” would seem to imply.

From Seattle Times

Evergreens don’t lose their foliage, but they do crank up production of abscisic acid, or ABA, the hormone that triggers leaf fall in deciduous trees.

From Seattle Times

It is produced in an extracellular space between the plasma membrane and cell wall called the apoplast, in response to a range of factors, including stressors, plant hormones such as abscisic acid, and physical or chemical changes outside the cell1.

From Nature

The older trees had lower levels of a growth hormone called indole-3-acetic acid and higher levels of a growth-inhibiting hormone called abscisic acid.

From Science Magazine