progesterone

[ proh-jes-tuh-rohn ]

noun
  1. Biochemistry. a hormone, C21H30O2, that prepares the uterus for the fertilized ovum and maintains pregnancy.

  2. Pharmacology. a commercial form of this compound, obtained from the corpus luteum of pregnant sows or synthesized: used in the treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhea, threatened or recurrent abortion, etc.

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Origin of progesterone

1
1930–35; blend of progestin and luteosterone (<German Luteosteron, synonymous with progestin, equivalent to Luteo-luteo- (representing corpus luteum) + -steron (see sterol, -one))

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British Dictionary definitions for progesterone

progesterone

/ (prəʊˈdʒɛstəˌrəʊn) /


noun
  1. a steroid hormone, secreted mainly by the corpus luteum in the ovary, that prepares and maintains the uterus for pregnancy. Formula: C 21 H 30 O 2: Also called: corpus luteum hormone

Origin of progesterone

1
C20: from pro- 1 + ge (station) + ster (ol) + -one

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for progesterone

progesterone

[ prō-jĕstə-rōn′ ]


  1. A steroid hormone that prepares the uterus for pregnancy, maintains pregnancy, and promotes development of the mammary glands. The main sources of progesterone are the ovary and the placenta. Chemical formula: C21H30O2.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.