Photosynthesis is the way that green plants make their food using sunlight.
[technical]
photosynthesis in British English
(ˌfəʊtəʊˈsɪnθɪsɪs)
noun
1.
(in plants) the synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water (with the release of oxygen) using light energy absorbed by chlorophyll
2.
the corresponding process in certain bacteria
Derived forms
photosynthetic (ˌfəʊtəʊsɪnˈθɛtɪk)
adjective
photosynthetically (ˌphotosynˈthetically)
adverb
photosynthesis in American English
(ˌfoʊtoʊˈsɪnθəsɪs)
noun
1.
the biological synthesis of chemical compounds in the presence of light
2.
the production of organic substances, chiefly sugars, from carbon dioxide and water occurring in green plant cells supplied with enough light to allow chlorophyll to aid in the transformation of the radiant energy into a chemical form