endorphin

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French endorphine, from endo(gène) (“endogenous, produced within”) and morphine.

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɛnˈdɔːfɪn/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ɛnˈdɔ(ɹ)fɪn/
  • Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)fɪn

Noun

endorphin (plural endorphins)

  1. (biochemistry) Any of a group of peptide hormones found in the mammalian brain that act as neurotransmitters and have properties similar to morphine.
    • 2019, Curt L. Lox, Kathleen A. Martin Ginis, Heather L. Gainforth, Steven J. Petruzzello, The Psychology of Exercise: Integrating Theory and Practice, Routledge, →ISBN:
      The explanation for the depression-reducing effects of exercise that clearly has been the most popular with the media is the endorphin hypothesis (see Hoffmann, 1997), which has also been discussed as a possible explanation in nearly every exercise-depression literature review.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.