porphyrin

[pawr-fuh-rin]

noun Biochemistry.

a dark red, photosensitive pigment consisting of four pyrrole rings linked by single carbon atoms: a component of chlorophyll, heme, and vitamin B12.

Origin of porphyrin

1905–10; < Greek porphýr(a) purple + -in²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for porphyrin

porphyrin

noun

any of a group of pigments occurring widely in animal and plant tissues and having a heterocyclic structure formed from four pyrrole rings linked by four methylene groups

Word Origin for porphyrin

C20: from Greek porphura purple, referring to its colour

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

porphyrin in Medicine

porphyrin

[pôr′fə-rĭn]

n.

Any of various heterocyclic compounds, derived from pyrrole, that occur universally in protoplasm, contain a central metal atom, and provide the foundation structure for hemoglobin, chlorophyll, and certain enzymes.

porphyrin in Science

porphyrin

[pôr′fə-rĭn]

Any of various organic pigments containing four pyrrole rings bonded to one another. The rings form the corners of a large flat square, in the middle of which is a cavity that often contains a metal atom. Porphyrins occur universally in protoplasm and function with bound metals such as iron in hemoglobin and magnesium in chlorophyll.