ecdysone

noun

ec·​dy·​sone ˈek-də-ˌsōn 

variants or less commonly ecdyson

ˈek-də-ˌsän 

: any of several arthropod hormones that in insects are produced by the prothoracic gland and that trigger molting and metamorphosis

Examples of ecdysone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most species make their own ecdysone but D.pachea is ill-equipped. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2012

This chemical reaction is the first of many that leads to ecdysone – a hormone that all insects need to transform from a larva into an adult. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2012

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Ecdyson, from Ecdysis ecdysis + -on (in Hormon hormone)

Note: Name introduced by the German biochemist Peter Karlson (1918-2001) in "Chemische Untersuchungen über die Metamorphosehormone der Insekten," Annales des sciences naturelles: zoologie et biologie animale, séries 11, tome 18 (1956), pp. 125-37.

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ecdysone

noun

ec·​dy·​sone ˈek-də-ˌsōn 

variants also ecdyson

-ˌsän 

: any of several arthropod hormones that in insects are produced by the prothoracic gland and that trigger molting and metamorphosis