photoentrainment

noun

The entrainment of an organism's circadian rhythm to the pattern of light and dark in its environment

OriginEnglish entrainment ← Ancient Greek φωτο- (phōto-) ← Proto-Hellenic *pʰáwos →
Scrabble 23
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Meanings

nounphotoentrainment (usually uncountable, plural photoentrainments)

plural photoentrainments

  1. uncountableusuallybiologyThe entrainment of an organism's circadian rhythm to the pattern of light and dark in its environment

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéh₂os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáwos
  4. Ancient Greekφᾰ́ος (phắos)
  5. Ancient Greekφῶς (phôs)
  6. Ancient Greekφωτο- (phōto-)
  7. Englishphoto-
  8. Englishentrainment
  9. Englishphotoentrainment

From photo- + entrainment.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

photoentrainment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoentrainment

MLA

“photoentrainment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoentrainment. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “photoentrainment,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoentrainment.

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