androgen

American  

[an-druh-juhn, -jen] / ˈæn drə dʒən, -ˌdʒɛn /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any substance, as testosterone or androsterone, that promotes male characteristics.

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androgen British  

/ ˈændrədʒən, ˌændrəˈdʒɛnɪk /

noun

1. any of several steroids, produced as hormones by the testes or made synthetically, that promote development of male sexual organs and male secondary sexual characteristics

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androgen Scientific  

/ ăn′drə-jən /

1. Any of several steroid hormones, especially testosterone, that regulate the growth, development, and function of the male reproductive system. The testes are the main source of bodily androgens.

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Other Word Forms

• androgenic adjective

Etymology

Origin of androgen

First recorded in 1935–40; andro- + -gen

Example Sentences

The standard and most likely course of care for Biden will be ADT, or androgen deprivation therapy, which involves a pill or shot that will shut down testosterone production, the doctors said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2025

Blocking EZH2's alternative function restored sensitivity to androgen receptor therapies like enzalutamide.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024

For example, females with a DSD known as androgen insensitivity syndrome have XY chromosomes; they produce testosterone; but their bodies aren’t equipped to process it.

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2024

The stem cell-like state of cancer cells that do not express the androgen receptor, as well as their ability to migrate, invade and metastasize, were significantly reduced following the silencing of the SIX2 gene.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2024

You could even start before you were eighteen with pills called androgen blockers that stopped the boy hormones already inside you from turning your body into a man's.

From "George" by Alex Gino