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adrenaline

 - 10 dictionary results

a⋅dren⋅a⋅line

  [uh-dren-l-in, -een]
Use adrenaline in a Sentence
–noun Biochemistry, Pharmacology.
epinephrine (def. 1).
Origin:
1900–05; adrenal + -ine 1

ep⋅i⋅neph⋅rine

  [ep-uh-nef-rin, -reen]
–noun
1. Biochemistry. a hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla upon stimulation by the central nervous system in response to stress, as anger or fear, and acting to increase heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, and carbohydrate metabolism.
2. Pharmacology. a commercial form of this substance, extracted from the adrenal glands of sheep and cattle, or synthesized: used chiefly as a heart stimulant, to constrict the blood vessels, and to relax the bronchi in asthma.
Also, ep⋅i⋅neph⋅rin.
Also called adrenaline.

Origin:
1895–1900; epi- + Gk nephr(ós) kidney + -ine 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To adrenaline
a·dren·a·line   (ə-drěn'ə-lĭn)   
n.  See epinephrine.
ep·i·neph·rine also ep·i·neph·rin   (ěp'ə-něf'rĭn)   
n.  

  1. 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. Also called adrenaline.

  2. 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.


[epi- + nephr(o)- + -ine2.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

adrenaline [(uh-dren-l-in)]

A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that helps the body meet physical or emotional stress (see endocrine system).

Note: Adrenaline plays a very large role in the fight or flight reaction, which refers to the various processes that occur within the body when it is confronted with some form of mental or physical stress.
Note: Figuratively, the term adrenaline is used in speaking of a high state of excitement: “When the race began, the adrenaline really started pumping.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: adren·a·line
Pronunciation: &-'dren-&l-&n
Function: noun
: EPINEPHRINE —recognized by the British Pharmaceutical Codex as the preferred name for epinephrine in Great Britain

Main Entry: epi·neph·rine
Variant: also epi·neph·rin /"ep-&-'nef-r&n/
Function: noun
: a colorlesscrystalline feebly basic sympathomimetic hormone C9H13NO3 that is the principal blood-pressure-raising hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla, is prepared from adrenalextracts or made synthetically, and is used medicinally especially as a heart stimulant, as a vasoconstrictor in controlling hemorrhages of the skin and in prolonging the effects of local anesthetics,and as a muscle relaxant in bronchial asthma called also adrenaline
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

adrenaline a·dren·a·line (ə-drěn'ə-lĭn)
n.
See epinephrine.

epinephrine ep·i·neph·rine or ep·i·neph·rin (ěp'ə-něf'rĭn)
n.

  1. A catecholamine hormone of the adrenal medulla that is the most potent stimulant of the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in increased heart rate and force of contraction, vasoconstriction or vasodilation, relaxation of bronchiolar and intestinal smooth muscle, glycogenolysis, lipolysis, and other metabolic effects. Also called adrenaline.

  2. A white to brownish crystalline compound isolated from the adrenal glands of certain mammals or synthesized and used in medicine as a heart stimulant, vasoconstrictor, and bronchial relaxant.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

adrenaline

two separate but related hormones secreted by the medulla of the adrenal glands. They are also produced at the ends of sympathetic nerve fibres, where they serve as chemical mediators for conveying the nerve impulses to effector organs. Chemically, the two compounds differ only slightly; and they exert similar pharmacological actions, which resemble the effects of stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. They are, therefore, classified as sympathomimetic agents. The active secretion of the adrenal medulla contains approximately 80 percent epinephrine and 20 percent norepinephrine; but this proportion is reversed in the sympathetic nerves, which contain predominantly norepinephrine.

Learn more about adrenaline with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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