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porphyria

[ pawr-feer-ee-uh, -fahy-ree-uh ]
/ pɔrˈfɪər i ə, -ˈfaɪ ri ə /
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use porphyria in a sentence

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
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