rubisco

R1U1B3I1S1C3O1
/ruːˈbiskoʊ/

noun

An enzyme (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase) which catalyzes both the fixing of atmospheric carbon dioxide during photosynthesis (and for a few chemioautotrophic bacteria) and the reverse process of photorespiration.

UncommonFirst used 20th c.Scrabble 11
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Meanings

rubisco1

nounrubisco (uncountable)
  1. alternativeuncountableAlternative form of Rubisco.

Rubisco2

nounRubisco (uncountable)

alternative RuBisCO · alternative rubisco

  1. uncountablebiochemistryAn enzyme (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase) which catalyzes both the fixing of atmospheric carbon dioxide during photosynthesis (and for a few chemioautotrophic bacteria) and the reverse process of photorespiration.First known use 20th c.

    To turn light into food takes several steps, but the key is an extremely inefficient enzyme called RuBisCO.

    2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherworlds, Penguin, published 2023, page 29

RuBisCO3

nounRuBisCO (uncountable)

alternative Rubisco · alternative rubisco

  1. alternativeuncountableAlternative form of Rubisco.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
carboxydismutase

Origin

Rubisco · noun

From RuBisCO

Full word history & related roots →

RuBisCO · noun

Coined in 1979 by David Eisenberg, from r(ib)u(lose) + bis(phosphate) + c(arboxylase) + o(xygenase). Coinage was in 1979 at a seminar honoring the retirement of the early, prominent RuBisCO researcher, Sam Wildman, and also alluded to the snack food trade name "Nabisco" in reference to Wildman's attempts to create an edible protein supplement from tobacco leaves.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

rubisco. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubisco

MLA

“rubisco.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubisco. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rubisco,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubisco.

Source: rubisco on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.