entry
hormone
/ˈhɔːrmoʊn/Chemical messenger regulating body functions
From Greek horm- (to set in motion).
from PIE *or-sma-
from Greek hormon "that which sets in motion," present participle of horman "impel, urge on,"
Word Ancestry
from PIE *or-sma-
from Greek hormon "that which sets in motion," present participle of horman "impel, urge on,"
This one starts with motion in the most literal sense: Greek ὁρμή was a rush, a charge, the kind of word you’d use for a horse lunging or an army surging forward. Ancient physicians like Hippocrates were already using the family for a kind of vital force, which is deliciously close to what endocrinology later did with it. Then, in 1905, the English physiologist Ernest Henry Starling needed a name for the body’s chemical messengers and borrowed that old Greek idea of something that gets action started. It’s a neat little cousinhood: a hormone drives physiology the way Prometheus, another Greek word hiding a tale of fire and consequences, drives myth into human history. So every time you hear about insulin or adrenaline, you’re hearing an ancient shout of “move!” still echoing in modern biology.
The Story
This one starts with motion in the most literal sense: Greek ὁρμή was a rush, a charge, the kind of word you’d use for a horse lunging or an army surging forward. Ancient physicians like Hippocrates were already using the family for a kind of vital force, which is deliciously close to what endocrinology later did with it. Then, in 1905, the English physiologist Ernest Henry Starling needed a name for the body’s chemical messengers and borrowed that old Greek idea of something that gets action started. It’s a neat little cousinhood: a hormone drives physiology the way Prometheus, another Greek word hiding a tale of fire and consequences, drives myth into human history. So every time you hear about insulin or adrenaline, you’re hearing an ancient shout of “move!” still echoing in modern biology.
Modern Usage
Used in some internet slang and crude jokes with unrelated meanings.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary
Kin & Kindred
From 'horm-'·to set in motion; impulse, urge
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary