also  por*phine  n :  a deep purple crystalline compound C₂₀H₁₄N₄ that is made synthetically from pyrrole and formaldehyde, contains four pyrrole rings joined by =CH- groups so as to give a heterocyclic arrangement, and forms the essential skeletal structure of the porphyrins, heme, and chlorophyll .
 
 
 
Similar sounding terms:  par·af·fin 
 
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