noctilucine
English
Alternative forms
- noctilucin
Etymology
From New Latin, based on Latin nox (“night”) + lux (“light”).Term coined by British scientist Thomas Lamb Phipson (1833–1908). It appeared first in his article On noctilucine, the phosphorescent principle of luminous animals, published in The chemical new, vol. 32, no. 832, on November 5, 1875.
Noun
noctilucine (uncountable)
- (biochemistry) A nitrogenous substance in fireflies, glowworms and marine animals, supposedly responsible for their luminescence.
Translations
substance responsible for the bioluminescence
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Usage notes
- The bioluminescence is now known to be caused by the action of the enzyme luciferase acting on luciferin.