luciferin

noun

lu·​cif·​er·​in lü-ˈsi-f(ə-)rən 

: any of various organic substances in luminescent organisms (such as fireflies) that upon oxidation produce a virtually heatless light

Did you know?

Luciferin got its name from the Latin word lucifer (meaning "light-bearing"), which is also a source of the word that is sometimes used as a name of the devil. We won't go into how Lucifer came to be called by that name-suffice it to say he wasn't always associated with darkness-but we will look a bit more closely at the Latin word lucifer. It comes from Latin luc-, meaning "light," plus -fer, meaning "bearing" or "producing." Additional relatives include the nontechnical adjective luciferous, meaning "bringing light or insight," and luciferase, the enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of luciferin.

Examples of luciferin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bioluminescence is believed to have evolved nearly 100 times across history, caused by a simple chemical reaction, when a light-producing molecule called a luciferin reacts with an enzyme called luciferase. —Sam Jones, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024

The process requires not only the synthesis of specialized chemicals like luciferin and luciferase but also the energy to fuel the light-producing reaction. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Bioluminescence is produced naturally when oxygen reacts with a substance called luciferin, with the help of an enzyme called luciferase, to produce energy in the form of light. —WIRED, 19 Sep. 2023

Oxygen combines with chemicals called luciferin and luciferase to generate light with almost no heat. —USA Today, 2 June 2023

For example, in order to do their glowing thing, fireflies use firefly luciferin or (4S)-2-(6-hydroxy-1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-4,5-dihydrothiazole-4-carboxylic acid, which looks like a ridiculously strong password. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021

Dumping firefly luciferin on plants is extremely expensive and can be toxic. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 30 Apr. 2020

The light is produced inside the tiny dinoflagellates body thanks to two chemicals: the enzyme luciferase and the compound luciferin. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2020

Bioluminescence comes in a range of greens, reds and blues, and it’s caused by a protein called luciferin, often found in marine animals, mushrooms, insects, algae and specific types of bacteria. —Jill Langlois, Smithsonian, 5 Dec. 2019

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French luciférine, from Latin lūcifer "light-bearing" + French -ine -in entry 1 — more at lucifer

Note: French luciférine was coined, along with luciférase luciferase, by the pharmacologist Raphaël Dubois (1849-1929) in "Note sur la fonction photogénique chez les Pholades," Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances et mémoires de la Société de Biologie, huitième série, tome quatrième (1887), séance de 13 octobre, p. 566.

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

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Medical Definition

luciferin

noun

lu·​cif·​er·​in -(ə-)rən 

: any of various organic substances in luminescent organisms that furnish practically heatless light in undergoing oxidation promoted by luciferase