endocrine
Americanadjective
-
secreting internally into the blood or lymph.
-
of or relating to an endocrine gland or its secretion.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of endocrine
1910–15; endo- + -crine < Greek krī́nein to separate
Explanation
The adjective endocrine describes the glands in your body that secrete hormones into your blood. The hormones released by your endocrine glands have an effect on almost every function of your body. Endocrine can refer to the glands in your body — called endocrine glands — and it also can describe the larger system that includes your glands and your hormones, called the endocrine system. The endocrine system is responsible for lots of functions, including regulating growth, metabolism, and even your mood. So the next time you’re in a really good mood, thank your endocrine secretions.
Vocabulary lists containing endocrine
Life Science: Human Systems
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STAAR Biology: Biological Processes and Systems
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Life Science II
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Vertex Pharmaceuticals will acquire Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for $10 billion, adding endocrine disease treatments to its portfolio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Kate Morris, from the charity Verity PCOS, said she hoped the change would lead to more women being referred to specialists who recognise its endocrine and metabolic nature.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
Scientists are increasingly recognizing that adipose tissue acts as a complex endocrine organ that communicates with the brain, liver, muscles, and immune system through hormones and signaling molecules.
From Science Daily ● May 8, 2026
These chemicals, Mr. Paxton says, “may be associated with endocrine disruption, infertility, cancer, and other health issues.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
He became rather technical; spoke of the abnormal endocrine co-ordination which made men grow so slowly; postulated a germinal mutation to account for it.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Pituitary Disorders Sirs: The endocrines have an important influence over the mental as well as the physical state of the body.
From Time Magazine Archive
The mood is serious; the movement sober, without the bravura leaps and dashes with which American dancers assault the eyes and the endocrines.
From Time Magazine Archive
That brings Surgeon Geoffrey into the house pretty often and he in turn brings Gita's endocrines into their own.
From Time Magazine Archive
Your real job here at Stanford is to learn to run your glands with their various endocrines.
From Time Magazine Archive
There should be a stable balance between the various endocrines, the stability expressing itself in what we are pleased to call the normal.
From The Glands Regulating Personality by Louis Berman M.D.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
