estrogen

[es-truh-juh n]

noun Biochemistry.

any of several major female sex hormones produced primarily by the ovarian follicles of female mammals, capable of inducing estrus, developing and maintaining secondary female sex characteristics, and preparing the uterus for the reception of a fertilized egg: used, especially in synthetic form, as a component of oral contraceptives, in certain cancer treatments, and in other therapies.

Origin of estrogen

First recorded in 1925–30; estr(us) + -o- + -gen

Related formsan·ti·es·tro·gen, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for estrogen

Contemporary Examples of estrogen

In fact, the estrogen that they employed did worse than castrate the subject—it could act as a cerebral depressant.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero
Clive Irving
November 29, 2014
All 10 girls were in every single day, so there was a lot of estrogen.
Anna Kendrick on ‘Pitch Perfect 2,’ Drunken Horror Stories, and Singin’ Pharrell
Marlow Stern
July 24, 2014
It has an enormous dose of estrogen in it, leading to many voluptuous prisoners in New York state prisons.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison
Daniel Genis
June 21, 2014
Orange Is the New Black returns to Netflix with a wildly addictive potion of darkness, estrogen, and one-liners.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season Two Is More Bingeworthy Than the First
Kevin Fallon
May 16, 2014
Manning would likely be prescribed some form of estrogen that would be taken orally, through injection, or by a skin patch.
Hormone Therapy Is More Than Just a Physical Process
Brandy Zadrozny
August 22, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for estrogen

estrogen

noun

the usual US spelling of oestrogen

Derived Formsestrogenic (ˌɛstrəˈdʒɛnɪk, ˌiːstrə-), adjectiveestrogenically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for estrogen

coined 1927 from estrus + -gen. So called for the hormone's ability to produce estrus.

estrogen in Medicine

estrogen

Any of several natural or synthetic substances formed by the ovary, placenta, testis, and certain plants, that stimulate the female secondary sex characteristics, exert systemic effects such as the growth and maturation of long bones, and are used to treat disorders due to estrogen deficiency and to ameliorate cancers of the breast and prostate.estrin

estrogen in Science

estrogen

[ĕs′trə-jən]

Any of a group of steroid hormones that primarily regulate the growth, development, and function of the female reproductive system. The main sources of estrogen in the body are the ovaries and the placenta. Estrogen-like compounds are also formed by certain plants.

estrogen in Culture

estrogen

[(es-truh-juhn)]

A group of hormones, secreted mainly by the ovaries, that influence the female reproductive system in many ways, notably in preparing the body for ovulation and in the development of female secondary sex characteristics.