Hormone

How it is used

Central to endocrine physiology. Glands secrete or release hormones, which bind to receptors on target cells. Hormone levels are measured in blood tests, and the adjective is hormonal.

Example sentences

1. Insulin is a hormone that lowers blood glucose.

2. The pituitary gland releases hormones that control other endocrine glands.

Common collocations

• secrete a hormone
• release a hormone
• hormone levels
• growth hormone
• thyroid hormone

Related terms

• glandAn organ or group of cells that makes and releases a substance. Endocrine glands release hormones into the blood; exocrine glands release secretions such as sweat or saliva through ducts.
• thyroid glandA butterfly-shaped endocrine gland at the front of the neck, below the larynx. It makes the thyroid hormones (T3 and T4), which control metabolic rate, and the hormone calcitonin.
• homeostasisThe body's ability to keep its internal conditions, such as temperature, blood sugar and water balance, fairly stable even when the outside environment changes.
• negative feedbackA control system in which a change in the body triggers a response that reverses the change and brings conditions back toward a set point. It is the main way homeostasis is maintained.
• pancreasA gland behind the stomach with two jobs: it makes digestive enzymes that flow into the duodenum, and its islet cells release hormones such as insulin and glucagon into the blood.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• hormone · Biology

More terms: Nervous and Endocrine Systems

• nervous system
• brain
• spinal cord
• nerve
• neuron
• synapse
• action potential
• reflex
• cerebellum