growth hormone

American  

noun

1. any substance that stimulates or controls the growth of an organism, especially a species-specific hormone, as the human hormone somatotropin, secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. GH

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growth hormone British  

noun

1. Also called: somatotrophin.   human growth hormone.  a hormone synthesized in and secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland that promotes growth of the long bones in the limbs and increases the synthesis of protein essential for growth

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growth hormone Scientific  

1. A polypeptide hormone secreted by the anterior portion of the pituitary gland that promotes growth by stimulating protein synthesis. Growth hormone also acts on the liver to produce peptides called somatomedins, which stimulate growth of bone, cartilage, and muscle.

2. Also called somatotropin

3. Any of various natural or synthetic substances that regulate the growth of plants. Auxins in plants are growth hormones.

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Etymology

Origin of growth hormone

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Subjects in studies of six individual peptides — growth hormone releasing peptide-2, ibutamoren mesylate, ipamorelin, CJC-1295, AOD-9604 and melanotan II — experienced adverse events, including death.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

In a study published in Cell, they mapped the brain circuits that control growth hormone release during sleep and identified a new feedback system that keeps those levels in balance.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

"Sleep drives growth hormone release, and growth hormone feeds back to regulate wakefulness, and this balance is essential for growth, repair and metabolic health."

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

Each configuration seems contingent, not fixed, as if in a process of perpetual transition driven by some invisible force—tectonic restlessness or a growth hormone, say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

It was important to me that the organic ice cream came from cows that did not receive injections of growth hormone to boost their productivity.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan