endorphin

E1N1D2O1R1P3H4I1N1
UK/ɛnˈdɔːfɪn/US/ɛnˈdɔ(ɹ)fɪn/

noun

Any of a group of peptide hormones found in the mammalian brain that act as neurotransmitters and have properties similar to morphine.

OriginFrench endorphine →
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

nounendorphin (plural endorphins)

plural endorphins

  1. biochemistryAny of a group of peptide hormones found in the mammalian brain that act as neurotransmitters and have properties similar to morphine.

    The explanation for the depression-reducing effects of exercise that clearly has been the most popular with the media is the endorphin hypothesis (see Hoffmann, 1997), which has also been discussed as a possible explanation in nearly every exercise-depression literature review.

    2019, Curt L. Lox, Kathleen A. Martin Ginis, Heather L. Gainforth, Steven J. Petruzzello, The Psychology of Exercise: Integrating Theory and Practice, Routledge, →ISBN

Origin

  1. Frenchendorphine
  2. Englishendorphin

Borrowed from French endorphine, from endo(gène) (“endogenous, produced within”) and morphine.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic إِنْدُورْفِين
  • إِنْدُورْفِين (ʔindūrfīn)any of a group of peptide hormones
Catalan endorfina
  • endorfinaany of a group of peptide hormones
Chinese Mandarin 腦內啡 /脑内啡, 安多芬
  • 腦內啡 /脑内啡 (nǎonèifēi)any of a group of peptide hormones
  • 安多芬 (ānduōfēn)any of a group of peptide hormones
  • 內啡呔 /内啡呔 (nèifēidāi)any of a group of peptide hormones
Czech endorfin
  • endorfinany of a group of peptide hormones
Finnish endorfiini
  • endorfiiniany of a group of peptide hormones
French endorphine
  • endorphineany of a group of peptide hormones
German Endorphin
  • Endorphinany of a group of peptide hormones
Greek ενδορφίνη
  • ενδορφίνη (endorfíni)any of a group of peptide hormones
Hungarian endorfin
  • endorfinany of a group of peptide hormones
Indonesian endorfin
  • endorfinany of a group of peptide hormones
Italian endorfina
  • endorfinaany of a group of peptide hormones
Japanese エンドルフィン
  • エンドルフィン (endorufin)any of a group of peptide hormones
Māori taiaki whakahari
  • taiaki whakahariany of a group of peptide hormones
Polish endorfina
  • endorfinaany of a group of peptide hormones
Portuguese endorfina
  • endorfinaany of a group of peptide hormones
Russian эндорфи́н
  • эндорфи́н (endorfín)any of a group of peptide hormones
Spanish endorfina
  • endorfinaany of a group of peptide hormones
Swedish endorfin
  • endorfinany of a group of peptide hormones
Turkish endorfin
  • endorfinany of a group of peptide hormones
Vietnamese endorphin
  • endorphinany of a group of peptide hormones
Cite this entry
APA

endorphin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endorphin

MLA

“endorphin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endorphin. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “endorphin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/endorphin.

Source: endorphin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.