Word
oxytocin
Phoneticsoxy·tocin
US/ˌɑksəˈtoʊsən/
UK/ˌɒksɪtˈɒsɪn/
Definition
n. a hormone in your body that helps you feel love, trust, and connection with others. It is also released when you have a baby or during sex.
n. a hormone and neurotransmitter produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the posterior pituitary gland. It plays a central role in social bonding, maternal behavior, and sexual activity.
Examples
“Oxytocin helps mothers bond with their newborn babies.”
“Researchers found that people who spent time with their pets had higher levels of oxytocin in their blood.”
“The release of oxytocin during labor and delivery is essential for the physiological and emotional transition of the mother to her new role as a caregiver.”
Examples
simple
“Oxytocin helps mothers bond with their newborn babies.”
contextual
“Researchers found that people who spent time with their pets had higher levels of oxytocin in their blood.”
complex
“The release of oxytocin during labor and delivery is essential for the physiological and emotional transition of the mother to her new role as a caregiver.”
Real-World Examples
“Oxytocin, also known as the "love hormone," is a molecule released by neurons during various social behaviors and bonding experiences.” “We measured four things: brain activity, levels of the hormone oxytocin, self-reported trust and our observations of the robot’s influence on participants’ decisions.” “The researchers deliberately confined the study to men so they could compare the results with findings from previous oxytocin studies.” Etymology
From oxytocic, from Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús, “swift”) + τόκος (tókos, “childbirth”, from τίκτω (tíktō, “I give birth”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/oxytocin