trichromatic

[ trahy-kroh-mat-ik, -kruh- ]

adjective

1. pertaining to the use or combination of three colors, as in printing or in color photography.
2. pertaining to, characterized by, or involving three colors.
3. Ophthalmology. of, relating to, or exhibiting normal color vision.

trichromatic

/ ˌtraɪkrəʊˈmætɪk; traɪˈkrəʊmɪk /

adjective

1. photog printing involving the combination of three primary colours in the production of any colour
2. of, relating to, or having normal colour vision
3. having or involving three colours

Word History and Origins

Origin of trichromatic¹

First recorded in 1890–95; tri- + chromatic

Example Sentences

Humans have trichromatic vision with three photoreceptors, where every color perceived can be made from a combination of red, green and blue.

From Science Daily

But we don’t know whether that’s typical of a regular dichromat who doesn’t have the trichromatic eye to help wire up their brain.

From Scientific American

We humans have a trichromatic view of the world, with cones aligned to red, green and blue.

From New York Times

Ecological and sexual selection converge in the cichlid visual system, where trichromatic colour vision, eight different opsin genes and novel spherical lenses promote sensitivity in the highly dimensional visual world of clear-water lakes12, 13, 14.

From Nature

This shows that the visual power of these people is dichromatic and not trichromatic, as their power is limited to two colours, or pairs of colours, and does not extend to three.

From Project Gutenberg