porphyrin

[ pawr-fuh-rin ]

/ ˈpɔr fə rɪn /

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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.

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Origin of porphyrin

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

Words nearby porphyrin

porny, poromeric, porosity, porous, porphyria, porphyrin, porphyritic, porphyrization, porphyrize, porphyroblast, porphyrogenite

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

British Dictionary definitions for porphyrin

porphyrin

/ (ˈpɔːfɪrɪn) /

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

Scientific definitions for porphyrin

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.