hormone

From Ancient Greek ὁρμή (hormḗ, “rapid motion forwards, onrush, onset, assault, impulse to do a thing, effort”), whence ὁρμάω (hormáō), ὁρμῶ (hormô, “to set in motion, to urge on, to cheer on, to make a start, to hasten on”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɔːməʊn/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhɔːɹmoʊn/

• Audio (US)

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hormone (plural hormones)

1. (physiology) Any substance produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity.
   • 2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 165:

     Hormones are the bicycle couriers of the body, delivering chemical messages all around the teeming metropolis that is you.

2. (pharmacology) A synthetic compound with the same activity.
   1. (LGBT, colloquial, usually in the plural) Sex hormones, as used in hormone replacement therapy for transgender or intersex people.

      I'm going to be going to slightly higher doses of hormones soon.

3. (botany) Any similar substance in plants.

• See also Thesaurus:hormone

hormone (third-person singular simple present hormones, present participle hormoning, simple past and past participle hormoned)

1. (transitive, colloquial) To treat with hormones.

• moorhen

• ^{(mute h)} IPA^(key): /ɔʁ.mɔn/

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hormone f (plural hormones)

1. hormone

• hormonal

• “hormone”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

hormone (plural hormones)

1. Alternative form of hormon.