androstenedione

noun

an·dro·stene·di·one ˌan-drə-ˌstēn-ˈdī-ōn

-ˈstēn-dē-ˌōn

: a steroid sex hormone C₁₉H₂₆O₂ that is secreted by the testes, ovaries, and adrenal cortex and is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of testosterone and estrogen

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Mark McGwire, who admitted to taking androstenedione, a steroid, received 12.3% of the votes in 2016, his final year on the ballot. —

Evan Petzold, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2022 Mark McGwire, who admitted to taking androstenedione, a steroid, received 12.3% of the votes in 2016, his final year on the ballot. —

Evan Petzold, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'androstenedione.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Androstendion, from Androsteron androsterone + -en -ene + -dion -dione ("a chemical compound containing two carbonyl groups," from di- + -one)

Note: The name was introduced by the Croatian-Swiss chemist Leopold Ružička (1887-1976) and the Swiss chemist Albert Wettstein (1907-74) in "Sexualhormone V. Künstliche Herstellung des männlichen Sexualhormons trans-Dehydro-androsteron und des Androsten-3,17-dions," Helvetica Chimica Acta, vol. 18, no. 1 (1935), pp. 986-94.

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of androstenedione was in 1935

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near androstenedione

androspore

androstenedione

androsterone

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Androstenedione.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/androstenedione. Accessed 31 Jan. 2023.

Copy Citation