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.
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
Example sentences from the Web for porphyria
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
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.