What is the meaning of pigment?

noun

• Dry coloring material (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint, etc.. )
• Any substance whose presence in plant or animal tissues produces a characteristic color.
• A substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating.
  • usage: "artists use `paint' and `pigment' interchangeably"
  • synonyms: paint

verb

• Acquire pigment; become colored or imbued.
• Color or dye with a pigment.
  • usage: "pigment a photograph"