lignify

American  

[lig-nuh-fahy] / ˈlɪg nəˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

lignified, lignifying

1. to convert into wood; cause to become woody.

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verb (used without object)

lignified, lignifying

1. to become wood or woody.

lignify British  

/ ˈlɪɡnɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. botany to make or become woody as a result of the deposition of lignin in the cell walls

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lignify Scientific  

/ lĭg′nə-fī′ /

1. To make or become stiffer and stronger by the deposition of lignin.

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Other Word Forms

• lignification noun
• unlignified adjective

Etymology

Origin of lignify

First recorded in 1820–30; ligni- + -fy

Example Sentences

Late summer grafting is not practical because the scions which make a start do not lignify their new shoots sufficiently to withstand the winter cold.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Eleventh Annual Meeting Washington, D. C. October 7 and 8, 1920 by Northern Nut Growers Association

In the north where the warm season is not long enough to allow the autumn sprout to lignify sufficiently for bearing the rigors of winter it is killed.

From Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Seventh Annual Meeting Washington, D. C. September 8 and 9, 1916. by Northern Nut Growers Association