hormone

n. a natural chemical in your body that tells your organs how to work.

n. a regulatory substance produced in an organism and transported in tissue fluids such as blood or sap to stimulate specific cells or tissues into action.

“Insulin is a hormone that helps your body control the amount of sugar in your blood.”

“The endocrine system releases hormones directly into the bloodstream, where they travel to target receptors to regulate metabolic processes and maintain homeostasis.”

n. a man-made version of a natural hormone used as medicine.

n. a synthetic compound or pharmaceutical product designed to mimic the physiological effects of a natural hormone.

“The doctor prescribed a hormone cream to help with her skin condition.”

“Patients undergoing certain treatments may require synthetic hormones to compensate for glandular deficiencies or to suppress specific physiological responses.”

n. a chemical in plants that helps them grow or flower.

n. any of various organic compounds, such as auxin or gibberellin, that regulate plant growth and development.

“Farmers use a special hormone to make the fruit ripen at the same time.”

“Plant hormones, or phytohormones, coordinate growth and responses to environmental stimuli by regulating gene expression and cell division.”

Technical

v. to give hormones to an animal or plant to make it grow faster.

v. to treat or inject an organism with hormones, often for agricultural or experimental purposes.

“Some people worry about eating meat from cows that have been hormoned.”

“The livestock were hormoned to accelerate muscle development, a practice that remains controversial in several international markets.”

Informal · Technical