The word "polychromatic" comes from the ancient Greek language. The Greek word "polys" means "many" and "chroma" refers to color, especially the color of the skin.
The English word “polychromatic” is a descriptive adjective meaning “variegated” or “having a variety of colors.” It also can describe a change or fluctuation of colors from moment to moment, according to Webster’s Dictionary.
In physics, the word “polychromatic” describes light and means "consisting of different wave lengths." White light is polychromatic light because it contains all the colors of the spectrum, each of which has a different wave length, according to The Physics Hypertextbook.
In medicine, the word “polychromatic” describes immature red blood cells, because they contain both acidic and basic components that stain with dyes of a different color, according to the Free Dictionary by Farlex.
In the study of plant tissues, the word “polychromatic” describes staining methods that fix different colors on different components of cells, according to Springerlink.
The word “polychromatic” describes art forms, such as painting or pottery, that employ more than one color.