endocrine

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adjective

en·do·crine ˈen-də-krən

-ˌkrīn,

-ˌkrēn

: secreting internally

specifically : producing secretions that are distributed in the body by way of the bloodstream

hormones produced by the endocrine system

: of, relating to, affecting, or resembling an endocrine gland or secretion

endocrine tumors

endocrine

2 of 2

Did you know?

The body's glands remove specific substances from the blood and alter them for rerelease into the blood or removal. Glands such as those that produce saliva and sweat secrete their products through tiny ducts or tubes on or near the body's surface. The glands without ducts, called the endocrine glands, instead secrete their products into the bloodstream; the endo- root indicates that the secretions are internal rather than on the surface. The endocrine system includes such glands as the pituitary (which controls growth, regulates the other endocrines, and performs many other tasks), the thyroid (another growth gland that also influences metabolism), the adrenals (which secrete adrenaline and steroids), the hypothalamus (which influences sleep and weight regulation), and the ovaries (which produce eggs). Endocrine problems are treated by endocrinologists.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Phthalates Phthalates are potential endocrine disruptors, meaning they are thought to interfere with normal hormone function. —

Macaela Mackenzie, Glamour, 2 Feb. 2023 The concern about chemicals, particularly endocrine disruptors, started after the realization that such chemicals could affect cancer risk in rodent models. —

Richard Stevens, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2015 Many artificial fragrances are respiratory irritants and some are known mimics of estrogen which can disrupt our delicate hormone systems through endocrine disruption. —

Lorraine Wilde, Treehugger, 23 Jan. 2023 However, there are some instances when these areas are darker due to an underlying health issue like insulin resistance or an endocrine disorder, Dr. Tzu shares. —

Gabi Thorne, Allure, 20 Sep. 2022 People with thyroid conditions or other endocrine disorders should speak to a doctor before taking sea moss pills. —

Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 16 Dec. 2022 On the other hand, men had higher rates of renal disorders as well as endocrine disorders, including diabetes. —

Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 21 June 2022 Of particular alarm for humans are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, which are quite common. —

WIRED, 29 Nov. 2022 It has been linked to birth defects, multiple organ damage, and endocrine disruption. —

The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Apr. 2022

Noun

Research also shows that bias has serious physical effects, including on the heart, thyroid, and the endocrine system. —

H Conley, STAT, 2 June 2023 Why endocrine disruptors are a problem Endocrine-disrupting compounds, or EDCs, are a broad group of chemicals that can interfere with natural hormones in people’s bodies in ways that harm human health. —

Kathryn Crawford, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2020 All 516 patients enrolled in the trial had been treated for early-stage breast cancer and had been taking endocrine therapy for 18 to 31 months. —

Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 3 May 2023 Pembro often affects the endocrine system, Amaria said, causing diabetes and potentially permanent thyroid problems. —

Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2023 But Gerber added that for breast cancer patients who are not planning to take endocrine therapy, skipping radiation is not an option. —

Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 17 Feb. 2023 Faced with this possibility, Partridge said, many women stop or never start endocrine therapy, against the advice of their doctors. —

Erika Edwards, NBC News, 8 Dec. 2022 The program identified 150-200 babies each year with metabolic, endocrine, hematological or other congenital disorder. —

Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 22 Mar. 2023 Autoimmune enteropathy can be restricted to the bowel or intestines or can also impact other parts of the body, including the endocrine, renal, pulmonary, liver, hematologic, and musculoskeletal systems, according to a review of the disease that Mayo Clinic clinicians wrote. —

Korin Miller, Health.com, 22 Nov. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'endocrine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from French, from endo- endo- + -crine, as in olocrine, holocrine holocrine and mérocrine merocrine

Note: Word introduced by the French histologist Édouard Laguesse (1861-1927) in "Sur la formation des îlots de Langerhans dans le pancréas," Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances et mémoires de la Société de Biologie, 45. tome (1893), p. 820. The conclusions summarized in this report were treated in more detail in the author's "Recherches sur l'histogénie du pancréas chez le mouton," carried over two numbers of the Journal de l'anatomie et de la physiologie, vols. 31-32 (1895-96). In vol. 32, p. 245, Laguesse remarks on the word, now used in the collocation îlots endocrines, referring to the islets of Langerhans: "C'est en 1893 (29 juillet), dans une communication préliminaire faite à la Société de Biologie, que j'ais pour la première fois prononcé ce mot et émis cet hypothèse, mais avec une grande réserve …" ("It was in 1893 (July 29), in a preliminary communication made to the Société de Biologie, that I uttered this word and put forward this hypothesis for the first time, though with great reserve …"). In an undated manuscript note Laguesse commented on the introduction of the word: "Dès ma première communication sur les îlots pancréatiques en 1893, j'avais été gêné d'avoir toujours à répéter ce qualificatif 'à sécrétion interne' et j'étais frappé de la bonne allure et de la simplicité des termes holocrine et mérocrine créés par Ranvier. A son exemple je forgeai le vocable endocrine, de ενδον en dedans, κρινω je sépare, je sécrète. Il devait répondre à une véritable nécessité, si nous en jugeon[s] d'après son succès." ("From the time of my first communication on the pancreatic islets in 1893, I was bothered by the need to always repeat the qualification 'by internal secretion,' and I was struck by the attractiveness and simplicity of the terms holocrine and merocrine created by Ranvier. After his example I coined the word endocrine, de endon 'inside' and krinō 'I separate, I secrete.' It must have responded to a real need, to judge by its success.") (See reproduction of the note in Pierre Fossati, "Edouard Laguesse à Lille en 1893 crée le terme 'endocrine' et ouvre l'ère de l'endocrinologie," Histoire des sciences médicales, tome 38 [2004], pp. 433-40.)

Noun

derivative of endocrine entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of endocrine was in 1914

See more words from the same year