epinephrine

noun epi·neph·rine \ ˌe-pə-ˈne-frən \

variants: or less commonly epinephrin

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Definition of epinephrine

: a crystalline sympathomimetic hormone C₉H₁₃NO₃ that is the principal blood-pressure raising hormone secreted by the medulla of the adrenal glands, is prepared from adrenal extracts or made synthetically, and is used medicinally especially to stimulate the heart during cardiac arrest and to treat life-threatening allergic reactions — called also adrenaline

See epinephrine defined for kids

Recent Examples of epinephrine from the Web

Anaphylaxis requires treatment with an epinephrine injector like an Epipen and a trip to the ER.

— korin miller, SELF, "Southwest Airlines Is Finally Getting Rid of In-Flight Peanuts," 11 July 2018
Faced with this rival and growing resistance from insurers, Kaleo last year reintroduced Auvi-Q, its original epinephrine drug.

— jared s. hopkins and andrew martin, chicagotribune.com, "When Chicago's 'pharma bros' show up, drug prices can go through the roof," 6 Apr. 2018
The drivers will be trained to identify the symptoms of an allergic reaction and be able to administer epinephrine by a cartridge injector, commonly known as an EpiPen.

— ruth bruno, courant.com, "Seven New State Laws That Took Effect July 1," 3 July 2018
Fortune EpiPen Rival Novartis’s Sandoz unit is acquiring the rights to sell an epinephrine injector called Symjepi, which is a rival to Mylan’s EpiPen.

— alan murray, Fortune, "Hello AMLO, EU Retaliation, Stocks Stumble: CEO Daily for July 2, 2018," 2 July 2018
The Dutch team ruled out that the performance improvement came from changes in other hormones that can affect metabolism, such as cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine.

— melissa healy, latimes.com, "Deep brain stimulation may offer treatment for type 2 diabetes, study suggests," 26 May 2018
Fatal reactions are more likely to occur if epinephrine is needed but not given right away.

— hillary gordon, md, Philly.com, "ER visits rising for kids with allergies," 30 Apr. 2018
Along with the Narcan, our deputies also carry epinephrine.

— gary gibula, Naperville Sun, "Specialty court for first-time opioid offenders planned in DuPage as 'crisis reaches beyond what many people realize'," 22 May 2018
The emergency medical kit should also contain aspirin, dextrose for diabetics, epinephrine for allergic reactions and nitroglycerine for heart problems.

— bart jansen, USA TODAY, "'She stepped into her coffin': Relatives of passenger who died on flight sue American Airlines," 27 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of epinephrine

International Scientific Vocabulary epi- + Greek nephros kidney — more at nephritis

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1899

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

EPINEPHRINE Defined for Kids

epinephrine

noun ep·i·neph·rine \ ˌe-pə-ˈne-frən \

Definition of epinephrine for Students

: a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow and the blood pressure to increase

Medical Dictionary

epinephrine

noun epi·neph·rine

variants: also epinephrin play \ˌep-ə-ˈnef-rən\

medical Definition of epinephrine

: a colorless crystalline feebly basic sympathomimetic hormone C₉H₁₃NO₃ that is the principal blood-pressure-raising hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla, is prepared from adrenal extracts or made synthetically, and is used medicinally especially as a heart stimulant, as a vasoconstrictor (as to treat open-angle glaucoma and life-threatening allergic reactions and to prolong the effects of local anesthetics), and as a bronchodilator — called also adrenaline