Skip to content

siderophore

noun

Any medium-sized molecule that has a high specificity for binding or chelating iron; they are employed by microorganisms to obtain iron from the environment

RareScrabble 17

Ask AI about this wordChatGPT Claude Perplexity Google AI Grok

Meanings

nounsiderophore (plural siderophores)

plural siderophores

biochemistryAny medium-sized molecule that has a high specificity for binding or chelating iron; they are employed by microorganisms to obtain iron from the environment
a siderophage

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

From sidero- + -phore, literally iron carrier.

Full word history & related roots →

Cite this entry

APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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