pheromone

noun

pher·​o·​mone ˈfer-ə-ˌmōn How to pronounce pheromone (audio)
: a chemical substance that is usually produced by an animal and serves especially as a stimulus to other individuals of the same species for one or more behavioral responses
pheromonal adjective

Examples of pheromone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In this courtship melee, pheromones do most of the talking. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025 Known to expand the individual’s natural pheromones, Molecule 01 can be layered or worn alone. Tanya Akim, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 Using pheromones, according to Preventive Vet, can help reduce stress for both animals. Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025 Mark Hoddle, a biological control specialist and principal investigator at the UC Riverside Department of Entomology, previously told the La Jolla Light that the palm weevil will colonize a tree — particularly Canary Island date palms — and attract other weevils by releasing a pheromone. Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pheromone

Word History

Etymology

Greek phérein "to carry" + -o- + -mone (in hormone) — more at bear entry 2

Note: Name introduced by the German biochemist Peter Karlson (1918-2001) and the Swiss entomologist Martin Lüscher (1917-79) in "'Pheromones': a New Term for a Class of Biologically Active Substances," Nature, vol. 183, no. 4653 (January 3, 1959), pp. 55-56: "We propose, therefore, the designation 'pheromone' for this group of active substances. The name is derived from the Greek pherein, to transfer; hormōn, to excite. Pheromones are defined as substances which are secreted to the outside by an individual and received by a second individual of the same species, in which they release a specific reaction, for example, a definite behaviour or a developmental process."

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pheromone was in 1959

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Cite this Entry

“Pheromone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pheromone. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

pheromone

noun
pher·​o·​mone ˈfer-ə-ˌmōn How to pronounce pheromone (audio)
: a chemical substance (as a scent) that is produced by an animal and serves as a signal to other individuals of the same species to engage in some kind of behavior (as mating)

Medical Definition

pheromone

noun
pher·​o·​mone ˈfer-ə-ˌmōn How to pronounce pheromone (audio)
: a chemical substance that is produced by an animal and serves especially as a stimulus to other individuals of the same species for one or more behavioral responses

called also ectohormone

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