Porphyria
/ˌpɔːrˈfɪr.i.ə/noun
A group of rare disorders caused by problems in heme production, often affecting the skin, nervous system, or both.
Did you know?Porphyria was named from Greek porphyra, “purple dye,” and the same color-root also gave us one of history’s most powerful status symbols: imperial purple.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
πορφύρα (porphýra)
“purple dye; purple color”
Late Latin
Latin
porphyra
“purple color or purple dye”
18th-19th Century
New Latin
porphyria
“a disease characterized by purple-colored bodily fluids or symptoms”
Modern English
English
porphyria
“a group of disorders of heme metabolism”