endorphin

[ en-dawr-fin ]

noun

any of a group of peptides occurring in the brain and other tissues of vertebrates, and resembling opiates, that react with the brain's opiate receptors to raise the pain threshold.

Origin of endorphin

1970–75; end(ogenous)(m)orphine, with -ine respelled as -in²

Words Nearby endorphin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use endorphin in a sentence

Exercise releases endorphins, which can create brain activity that keeps some awake.
7 Wellness Strategies to Build Resilience | Brad Stulberg | January 22, 2021 | Outside Online
Showing kindness to others is also an easy way to release healthy endorphins.
In spite of it, how to live our best winter | Tom Sommers | January 12, 2021 | Washington Blade
So, when endorphins are circulating, they are essentially natural opioids.
How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis? (Ep. 444) | Stephen J. Dubner | December 17, 2020 | Freakonomics
There are various theories for why this happens, including the release of pain-blocking brain chemicals such as endorphins.
Exercise Blocks Pain, But Only For Believers | Alex Hutchinson | December 9, 2020 | Outside Online
It was almost like these betting machines or these games online that give you a little endorphin hit each time.
A Number Theorist Who Solves the Hardest Easy Problems | Erica Klarreich | July 1, 2020 | Quanta Magazine

I woke disoriented and crabby, without my customary morning jolt of endorphin.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom | Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for endorphin

endorphin

/ (ɛnˈdɔːfɪn) /

noun

any of a class of polypeptides, including enkephalin, occurring naturally in the brain, that bind to pain receptors and so block pain sensation

Origin of endorphin

C20: from endo- + morphine

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for endorphin

endorphin

[ ĕn-dôr′fĭn ]

Any of a group of peptide substances secreted by the anterior portion of the pituitary gland that inhibit the perception of painful stimuli. Endorphins act as neurotransmitters in the pain pathways of the brain and spinal cord. Narcotic drugs may stimulate the secretion of endorphins.

a closer look

Endorphins are long chains of amino acids, or polypeptides, that are able to bind to the neuroreceptors in the brain and are capable of relieving pain in a manner similar to that of morphine. There are three major types of endorphins: beta-endorphins are found almost entirely in the pituitary gland, while enkephalins and dynorphins are both distributed throughout the nervous system. Scientists had suspected that analgesic opiates, such as morphine and heroin, worked effectively against pain because the body had receptors that were activated by such drugs. They reasoned that these receptors probably existed because the body itself had natural painkilling compounds that also bonded to those receptors. When scientists in the 1970s isolated a biochemical from a pituitary gland hormone that showed analgesic properties, Choh Li, a chemist from Berkeley, California, named it endorphin, meaning the morphine within. Besides behaving as a pain reducer, endorphins are also thought to be connected to euphoric feelings, appetite modulation, and the release of sex hormones. Prolonged, continuous exercise contributes to an increased production of endorphins and, in some people, the subsequent runner's high.

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