pyrrole

P3Y4R1R1O1L1E1
UK/ˈpɪɹəʊl/

noun

Any of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds containing a ring of four carbon atoms and a nitrogen atom; especially the simplest one, C₄H₅N.

Similar
azole
OriginGerman Pyrro ← Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós) ← Proto-Hellenic *pāwər →
UncommonFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounpyrrole (plural pyrroles)

plural pyrroles

  1. chemistryAny of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds containing a ring of four carbon atoms and a nitrogen atom; especially the simplest one, C₄H₅N.First known use 19th c.

    The way the red crystals absorbed light suggested that the molecule might contain a porphyrin-like structure, a flat ring made up of four smaller rings called pyrroles […].

    1998, Georgina Ferry, Dorothy Hodgkin: A Life

    Synonyms: azole

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAny of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds containing a ring of four carbon atoms and a nitrogen atom; especially the simplest one, C₄H₅N.

Similar
azole
Also see
azole

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*péh₂wr̥
  2. Proto-Hellenic*pāwər
  3. Ancient Greekπῦρ (pûr)
  4. Ancient Greekπῠρρός (pŭrrhós)
  5. GermanPyrro
  6. Englishpyrrole

From German Pyrrol, corresponding to Ancient Greek πυρρός (purrhós, “reddish, fiery”) + -ole.

More words from German, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian пирол
  • пирол (pirol)any of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Catalan pirrole
  • pirroleany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Chinese Cantonese 吡咯
  • 吡咯 (bei² lok⁶)any of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Chinese Mandarin 吡咯
  • 吡咯 (bǐluò)any of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Esperanto pirolo
  • piroloany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Finnish pyroli
  • pyroliany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
French pyrrole
  • pyrroleany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
German Pyrrol
  • Pyrrolany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Italian pirrolo
  • pirroloany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Japanese ピロール
  • ピロール (pirōru)any of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Korean 피롤
  • 피롤 (pirol)any of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Polish pirol
  • pirolany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Portuguese pirrol
  • pirrolany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Spanish pirrol
  • pirrolany of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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