porphyria

[ pawr-feer-ee-uh, -fahy-ree-uh ]

/ pɔrˈfɪər i ə, -ˈfaɪ ri ə /

noun Pathology.

a defect of blood pigment metabolism in which porphyrins are produced in excess, are present in the blood, and are found in the urine.

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Also called hematoporphyria.

Origin of porphyria

First recorded in 1920–25; porphyr(in) + -ia

Words nearby porphyria

porotomy, porous, porphin, porphobilin, porphobilinogen, porphyria, porphyria cutanea tarda, porphyrin, porphyrinogen, porphyrinuria, porphyritic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for porphyria

But the two which are much the most noteworthy are "Johannes Agricola" and "Porphyria."
Life of Robert Browning|William Sharp
This species differs from A. porphyria in ring not being brown or brownish.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise|M. E. Hard
Was called "Porphyria's Lover" in the Works, 1863 and after.
A Handbook to the Works of Browning (6th ed.)|Mrs. Sutherland Orr
Would she not almost be ready, in such an hour, to die as Porphyria died?
Browning's Heroines|Ethel Colburn Mayne

Pauline, of course, exists only as an abstraction, and Porphyria is in no exact sense a portrait from the life.
Life of Robert Browning|William Sharp

British Dictionary definitions for porphyria

porphyria

/ (pɔːˈfɪrɪə) /

noun

a hereditary disease of body metabolism, producing abdominal pain, mental confusion, etc

Word Origin for porphyria

C19: from New Latin, from porphyrin a purple substance excreted by patients suffering from this condition, from Greek porphura purple

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

Medical definitions for porphyria

porphyria

[ pôr-fîr′ē-ə ]

n.

Any of several disorders of porphyrin metabolism, usually hereditary, characterized by large amounts of porphyrins in the blood and urine.