Meanings
nounbiofluorescence (uncountable)
- uncountableThe emission of previously absorbed light by fluorescent proteins in a living organism.
The finding that biofluorescence is phylogenetically widespread and phenotypically variable in marine fishes highlights many interesting new questions as to the role of biofluorescence in groups with advanced visual capability.
2015 November 12, “Adaptive Evolution of Eel Fluorescent Proteins from Fatty Acid Binding Proteins Produces Bright Fluorescence in the Marine Environment”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷeyh₃-
- Ancient Greekβῐ́ος (bĭ́os)
- Ancient Greekβῐο- (bĭo-)
- Englishbio-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰlewH-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰluH-yé-ti?
- Latinfluō
- Latinfluor
- Englishfluor
- Englishfluorite
- Middle Low Germanspar
- Old Englishspærstān
- Middle Englishsparston
- Englishsparstonebf.
- Englishspar
- Englishfluorspar
- Englishfluorescence
- Englishbiofluorescence
From bio- + fluorescence.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
biofluorescence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biofluorescence
MLA
“biofluorescence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biofluorescence. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “biofluorescence,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biofluorescence.
Source: biofluorescence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.