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

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

Exactly why exercise has this beneficial effect is unknown, but ideas include the impact on growth hormones, inflammation levels in the body and how the immune system functions - which patrols the body for cancer.

From BBC

Adding growth hormones makes cows put on muscle mass, and so makes their beef cheaper.

From BBC

Many American farmers use growth hormones as a standard part of their beef production, something that was banned in the UK and the European Union in the 1980s.

From BBC

I realised some of the serums on the market contain a synthetic growth hormone.

From BBC