purpurinPronunciation: /ˈpəːpjʊrɪn/Definition of purpurin noun [mass noun] Chemistry a red dye originally extracted from madder and also prepared artificially by the oxidation of alizarin. An anthraquinone derivative; chemical formula: C14H8O5 Origin: mid 19th century: from Latin purpura 'purple' + -in1purpurin in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of purpurin in the US English dictionary