Meanings
nounluciferin (plural luciferins)
plural luciferins
- biochemistryAny of a class of polycyclic heterocycles that are responsible for the bioluminescence of fireflies, being converted to oxyluciferin by luciferase in the process.
Aptly enough, glowworms light up their underworld with a pair of chemicals that have a satanic etymology—luciferins and luciferases, after the Latin for “light bringer.”
2017 October 6, Ed Yong, “The Most Beautiful Death Trap”, in The Atlantic
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*lewk-
- Proto-Indo-European*léwks
- Proto-Italic*louks
- Latinlūx
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰorós
- Latinlūcifer
- Englishluciferin
From Latin lūcifer (“light bringer”) + English -in.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Esperanto luciferino
- luciferinobiochemistry: any of a class of polycyclic heterocycles
Finnish lusiferiini
- lusiferiinibiochemistry: any of a class of polycyclic heterocycles
Cite this entry
APA
luciferin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/luciferin
MLA
“luciferin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/luciferin. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “luciferin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/luciferin.
Source: luciferin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.