luciferin

[ loo-sif-er-in ]

nounBiochemistry.

a pigment occurring in bioluminescent organisms, such as fireflies, that emits light when undergoing oxidation.

Origin of luciferin

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin lūcifer (see Lucifer) + -in²

Words Nearby luciferin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use luciferin in a sentence

When they tested the gene, by making it interact with luciferin, the team got the spark they were looking for.
We finally know why sea pickles glow | María Paula Rubiano A. | October 22, 2020 | Popular-Science
The older version of this test used a layer of paper that had been soaked in a solution with luciferin, then dried.
A glowing new way to measure antibodies | Sid Perkins | September 30, 2020 | Science News For Students
Across the field, he saw the glowing luciferin-like light of a small city.
Thy Name Is Woman | Bryce Walton
luciferin will also oxidize in the air spontaneously but no light is produced.
The Nature of Animal Light | E. Newton Harvey

British Dictionary definitions for luciferin

luciferin

/ (luːˈsɪfərɪn) /

noun

biochem a substance occurring in bioluminescent organisms, such as glow-worms and fireflies. It undergoes an enzyme-catalysed oxidation and emits light on decaying to its ground state

Origin of luciferin

C20: from Latin lucifer (literally: light-bearer) + -in

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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