Word
insulin
Phoneticsin·sulin
US/ˈɪnsəɫən/
UK/ˈɪnsuːlˌɪn/
Definitions
01natural hormone
n. a natural substance made by your body that helps you use and store the sugar from food.
n. a hormone produced by the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas that regulates the level of glucose in the blood.
“The body produces insulin to help turn the sugar from your meals into energy.”
“In a healthy individual, the pancreas releases insulin in response to rising blood glucose levels, facilitating the transport of sugar into the cells.”
Technical
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the biological substance in general.
Antonyms
02medication
n. a medicine that people with diabetes take to keep their blood sugar at a safe level.
n. a pharmaceutical preparation of the hormone, or its synthetic analogues, administered to patients with diabetes mellitus.
“He needs to take an insulin injection every day before he eats breakfast.”
“Advancements in biotechnology have allowed for the production of rapid-acting insulin analogues that more closely mimic the body's natural response to a meal.”
Usage
Can be used as a countable noun when referring to specific types or doses of the medication.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Diabetes UK says that around 1 in 4 people with type 2 diabetes takes insulin.” “It was during this time that David died from a lack of insulin.” Etymology
From Latin īnsula (“island”) (named for the islets of Langerhans, where insulin is produced) + -in.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/insulin