lignify

L1I1G2N1I1F4Y4
/ˈlɪɡnɪfaɪ/

verb

To become wood.

OriginLatin līgnum →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

verblignify (third-person singular simple present lignifies, present participle lignifying, simple past and past participle lignified)

present singular third person lignifies · participle present lignifying · participle past lignified · past lignified

  1. intransitiveTo become wood.
  2. intransitivebiologyTo develop woody tissue as a result of incrustation of lignin during secondary growth.
  3. broadlyintransitiveTo become rigid or fixed, like something made of wood.
  4. transitiveTo turn into wood; to make ligneous.

Origin

  1. Latinlīgnum“wood”
  2. Englishlignify

From Latin līgnum (“wood”) + -ify.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch verhouten
  • verhoutento become wood
French lignifier
  • lignifierto become wood
German verholzen
  • verholzento become wood
Italian lignificare
  • lignificareto become wood
Russian деревяне́ть, деревене́ть
  • деревяне́ть (derevjanétʹ)to become wood
  • деревене́ть (derevenétʹ)to become wood
Turkish odunlaşmak
  • odunlaşmakto become wood
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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