Wolff-Chaikoff effect

noun

A reduction in thyroid hormone levels caused by ingestion of a large amount of iodine.

Meanings

nounWolff-Chaikoff effect (plural Wolff-Chaikoff effects)

plural Wolff-Chaikoff effects

  1. A reduction in thyroid hormone levels caused by ingestion of a large amount of iodine.

Origin

Discovered by Drs. Jan Wolff and Israel Lyon Chaikoff at the University of California in the 1940s.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Wolff-Chaikoff effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wolff-Chaikoff%20effect

MLA

“Wolff-Chaikoff effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wolff-Chaikoff%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Wolff-Chaikoff effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wolff-Chaikoff%20effect.

Source: Wolff-Chaikoff effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.