oxytocin

[ ok-si-toh-suhn ]

noun
  1. Biochemistry. a polypeptide hormone, produced by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland, that stimulates contraction of the smooth muscle of the uterus.

  2. Pharmacology. a commercial form of this substance, obtained from beef and hog pituitary glands or especially by synthesis, and used chiefly in obstetrics to induce labor and to control postnatal hemorrhage.

Origin of oxytocin

1
First recorded in 1925–30; oxytoc(ic) + -in2

Words Nearby oxytocin

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How to use oxytocin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for oxytocin

oxytocin

/ (ˌɒksɪˈtəʊsɪn) /


noun
  1. a polypeptide hormone, secreted by the pituitary gland, that stimulates contractions of the uterus or oviduct and ejection of milk in mammals; alphahypophame: used therapeutically for aiding childbirth. Formula: C 43 H 68 N 12 O 12 S 2: Compare vasopressin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for oxytocin

oxytocin

[ ŏk′sĭ-tōsĭn ]


  1. A polypeptide hormone secreted by the posterior portion of the pituitary gland. Oxytocin stimulates the contraction of smooth muscle of the uterus during childbirth and facilitates ejection of milk from the mammary glands.

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