Library / English Dictionary

ENDORPHIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A neurochemical occurring naturally in the brain and having analgesic properties

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("endorphin" is a kind of...):

peptide (amide combining the amino group of one amino acid with the carboxyl group of another; usually obtained by partial hydrolysis of protein)

neurochemical (any organic substance that occurs in neural activity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "endorphin"):

beta endorphin (an endorphin produced by the pituitary gland that suppresses pain)

enkephalin (an endorphin having opiate qualities that occurs in the brain and spinal cord and elsewhere)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The known members of this group are alpha-, beta-, and gamma-endorphin.

(Endorphin, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Endorphins are peptides (small proteins) that bind to opioid receptors in the central nervous system.

(Endorphin, NCI Dictionary)