growth hormone

American  

noun

1. any substance that stimulates or controls the growth of an organism, especially a species-specific hormone, as the human hormone somatotropin, secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. GH

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growth hormone British  

noun

1. Also called: somatotrophin.   human growth hormone.  a hormone synthesized in and secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland that promotes growth of the long bones in the limbs and increases the synthesis of protein essential for growth

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growth hormone Scientific  

1. A polypeptide hormone secreted by the anterior portion of the pituitary gland that promotes growth by stimulating protein synthesis. Growth hormone also acts on the liver to produce peptides called somatomedins, which stimulate growth of bone, cartilage, and muscle.

2. Also called somatotropin

3. Any of various natural or synthetic substances that regulate the growth of plants. Auxins in plants are growth hormones.

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Etymology

Origin of growth hormone

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Subjects in studies of six individual peptides — growth hormone releasing peptide-2, ibutamoren mesylate, ipamorelin, CJC-1295, AOD-9604 and melanotan II — experienced adverse events, including death.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

At the center of all this is growth hormone, which surges during sleep.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

"This suggests that sleep and growth hormone form a tightly balanced system: Too little sleep reduces growth hormone release, and too much growth hormone can in turn push the brain toward wakefulness," Silverman said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

Each configuration seems contingent, not fixed, as if in a process of perpetual transition driven by some invisible force—tectonic restlessness or a growth hormone, say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

He’s working on something else: a growth hormone that will throw their systems out of whack and make them pupate before they’re supposed to.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood