juvenile hormone

American  

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of insect and plant hormones acting to inhibit the molting of a juvenile insect into its adult form.

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juvenile hormone British  

noun

1. a hormone, secreted by insects from a pair of glands behind the brain, that promotes the growth of larval characteristics and inhibits metamorphosis

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Etymology

Origin of juvenile hormone

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

juvenile hormone

Without Jhe to break it down, more juvenile hormone was reaching the brains of these ants, and “soldier behavior was reprogrammed to forager behavior,” Ju says.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 14, 2023

They noticed that soldiers had higher levels of a particular protein—an enzyme that degrades juvenile hormone, called juvenile hormone esterase, or Jhe.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 14, 2023

The discovery of the juvenile hormone was particularly unexpected.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 29, 2016

Zoecon Corp. of Palo Alto, Calif., has just started marketing a compound called Altosid SR-10, which is chemically similar to the juvenile hormone secreted by insects during an early stage of development.

From Time Magazine Archive

Scientists anxious to find a safe but powerful pesticide have long been fascinated by the juvenile hormone that is secreted by insects.

From Time Magazine Archive