ecdysone

noun

ec·​dy·​sone ˈek-də-ˌsōn 

variants or less commonly ecdyson

ˈek-də-ˌsän 

: any of several arthropod hormones that in insects are produced by the prothoracic gland and that trigger molting and metamorphosis

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Most species make their own ecdysone but D.pachea is ill-equipped. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2012

This chemical reaction is the first of many that leads to ecdysone – a hormone that all insects need to transform from a larva into an adult. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2012

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Ecdyson, from Ecdysis ecdysis + -on (in Hormon hormone)

Note: Name introduced by the German biochemist Peter Karlson (1918-2001) in "Chemische Untersuchungen über die Metamorphosehormone der Insekten," Annales des sciences naturelles: zoologie et biologie animale, séries 11, tome 18 (1956), pp. 125-37.

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ecdysone

noun

ec·​dy·​sone ˈek-də-ˌsōn 

variants also ecdyson

-ˌsän 

: any of several arthropod hormones that in insects are produced by the prothoracic gland and that trigger molting and metamorphosis