papiliochrome

P3A1P3I1L1I1O1C3H4R1O1M3E1

noun

Any of a group of yellow pigments found in the wings of papilionid butterflies

Scrabble 24
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Meanings

nounpapiliochrome (countable and uncountable, plural papiliochromes)

plural papiliochromes

  1. countableuncountablechemistryAny of a group of yellow pigments found in the wings of papilionid butterflies

    Much of the pigment-based coloration in invertebrates results from products of the melanin, ommochrome, pteridine, papiliochrome and heme synthesis pathways.

    2015 December 23, “Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of the Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas Characterized by Shell Colors: Identification of Genetic Bases Potentially Involved in Pigmentation”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI

Origin

From papilionid + -chrome.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

papiliochrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/papiliochrome

MLA

“papiliochrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/papiliochrome. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “papiliochrome,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/papiliochrome.

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