chromism

C3H4R1O1M3I1S1M3

noun

chromatism (the state of being colored)

Scrabble 17

Meanings

nounchromism (countable and uncountable, plural chromisms)

plural chromisms

  1. countableuncountablechromatism (the state of being colored)
  2. countableuncountableAny process that causes the color of a compound to change.

    By adding mechanical stresses to the crystalline sample, regular structures disappeared, followed by luminescent chromism from orange to yellow.

    2018, Yoshiki Chujo, New Polymeric Materials Based on Element-Blocks, page 9
    1 more example

    There are different types of chromism such as photochromism (induced by sunlight or UV rays), thermochromism (induced by changes in temperature), solvato chromism (induced by polarity of the solvent), hygrochromism (induced by moisture), ionochromism (induced by ions), halochromism (induced by pH value), acido chromism (induced by acids), chemochromism (induced by specifice chemical agents like dangerous gases, warfare agents, etc.) electrochromism (induced by electricity), piezochromism (induced by pressure), mechanochromism (induced by deformation of substances).

    2021, Raffaello Papadakis, Dyes and Pigments, page 100

Origin

  1. Proto-Hellenic*kʰrṓwmə
  2. Ancient Greekχρῶμᾰ (khrômă)
  3. Englishchromo-
  4. Englishchromism

From chromo- + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chromism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chromism

MLA

“chromism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chromism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chromism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chromism.

Source: chromism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.