Is a fluorophore and a fluorochrome the same thing?

Yes, fluorophore and fluorochrome refer to the same thing. Fluorophores, or fluorochromes, are fluorescent chemical compounds that are capable of absorbing light from a laser and re-emitting the light within a range of wavelengths upon excitation. This property makes them very useful for staining tissues, cells and other materials in various analytical techniques such as spectroscopy and fluorescent imaging.

Fluorophores may be used two ways depending on the type of analytical method. They may be used alone as a dye for staining certain materials, as a tracer in fluids, as a probe or as a substrate of enzymes. Or they may be covalently bonded to a macromolecule, serving as a dye, marker or reporter for bioactive or affine reagents.