Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla that is released into the bloodstream in response to physical or mental stress, as from fear or injury. It initiates many bodily responses, including the stimulation of heart action and an increase in blood pressure, metabolic rate, and blood glucose concentration.
  • noun A white to brownish crystalline compound, C9H13NO3, isolated from the adrenal glands of certain mammals or synthesized and used in medicine as a heart stimulant, vasoconstrictor, and bronchial relaxant.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun biochemistry Adrenaline: a catecholamine hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress (when it stimulates the autonomic nervous system).
  • noun biochemistry A neurotransmitter which is synthesized from norepinephrine.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress (trade name Adrenalin); stimulates autonomic nerve action

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[epi– + nephr(o)– + –ine.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek ἐπί ("upon") + νεφρός ("kidney") + -ine.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word epinephrine.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.