ˌfōd.ō+ noun
Etymology: New Latin, from phot- + synthesis
: synthesis of chemical compounds with the aid of light sometimes including the near infrared or near ultraviolet ; especially : the formation of carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and a source of hydrogen (as water) in chlorophyll-containing cells (as of green plants) exposed to light involving a photochemical release of oxygen through the decomposition of water followed by various enzymatic synthetic reactions that usually do not require the presence of light