porphyrin

[ pawr-fuh-rin ]

/ ˈpɔr fə rɪn /

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.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of porphyrin

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

Words nearby porphyrin

porphin, porphobilin, porphobilinogen, porphyria, porphyria cutanea tarda, porphyrin, porphyrinogen, porphyrinuria, porphyritic, porphyrization, porphyrize

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

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

Medical definitions for porphyrin

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.

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.