trichromatic

adjective

tri·​chro·​mat·​ic ˌtrī-krō-ˈma-tik How to pronounce trichromatic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or consisting of three colors
trichromatic light
2
a
: relating to or being the theory that human color vision involves three types of retinal sensory receptors
b
: characterized by trichromatism
trichromatic vision

Examples of trichromatic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Helmholtz’s theory was that our vision was trichromatic, based on three fundamental colors: red, green, and blue, which can be combined to make any other color. The Lost Women Of Science Initiative, Scientific American, 30 Nov. 2023 Like most primates, humans are trichromatic—that is, our eyes have three types of color-sensitive receptors or cones: blue, green, and red. Virginia Morell, National Geographic, 15 June 2020 About 30 million years ago, one of our primate ancestors’ cones split into two — red- and green-detecting — which, together with the existing blue-detecting cone, give us trichromatic vision. Quanta Magazine, 12 July 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trichromatic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trichromatic was circa 1890

Dictionary Entries Near trichromatic

Cite this Entry

“Trichromatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trichromatic. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

trichromatic

adjective
tri·​chro·​mat·​ic ˌtrī-krō-ˈmat-ik How to pronounce trichromatic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or consisting of three colors
trichromatic light
2
a
: relating to or being the theory that human color vision involves three types of retinal sensory receptors
b
: characterized by trichromatism
trichromatic vision

More from Merriam-Webster on trichromatic

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