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

“It shows that the traffic of juvenile hormone is probably very, very important,” she says.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 14, 2023

Around the time the worm’s larva began its transformation, many cells started to produce an enzyme that, in insects, helps activate a molecule called juvenile hormone.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 16, 2023

Because the juvenile hormone is known to regulate metamorphosis in insects, the finding could mean that some of the molecular mechanisms controlling the process evolved in a common ancestor of worms and insects.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 16, 2023

California's Georghiou has found, in laboratory tests, that after 15 generations both houseflies and mosquitoes develop resistance to juvenile hormone insecticides.

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