epinephrine

E1P3I1N1E1P3H4R1I1N1E1
/ˌɛp.ɪˈnɛ.fɹɪn/

noun

A catecholamine hormone and neurotransmitter; as a hormone, secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress (when it stimulates the autonomic nervous system); as a neurotransmitter, synthesized from norepinephrine. It is also used as a medication.

Similar
adrenaline45-β-trihydroxy-N-methylphenethylamineepinephrinAdrenalin
Less commonScrabble 18

Meanings

nounepinephrine (countable and uncountable, plural epinephrines)

plural epinephrines

  1. countableuncountablebiochemistryA catecholamine hormone and neurotransmitter; as a hormone, secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress (when it stimulates the autonomic nervous system); as a neurotransmitter, synthesized from norepinephrine. It is also used as a medication.

    At the ER, after deflating me with a cocktail of epinephrine, a steroid and an antihistamine, the doctors scolded me for not coming in more quickly: I could have died of asphyxiation.

    2023 November 1, “‘We’re sedating women with self-care’: how we became obsessed with wellness”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
    1 more example

    “Anyone who has experienced or witnessed an anaphylaxis reaction knows it can be very stressful deciding when to inject epinephrine to themselves or a child and often delay,” Dr. Jonathan Spergel, chief of the allergy program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a news release from ARS Pharmaceuticals.

    2024 August 9, Meg Tirrell, “First nasal spray epinephrine drug for emergency allergic reactions gets FDA approval”, in CNN

    Synonyms: adrenaline, 4, 5-β-trihydroxy-N-methylphenethylamine

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA catecholamine hormone and neurotransmitter; as a hormone, secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress (when it stimulates the autonomic nervous system); as a neurotransmitter, synthesized from norepinephrine. It is also used as a medication.

Similar
adrenaline45-β-trihydroxy-N-methylphenethylamine

More synonyms by meaning

nouna catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress (trade name Adrenalin); stimulates autonomic nerve action

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁épi
  4. Proto-Hellenic*epí
  5. Ancient Greekἐπί (epí)
  6. Ancient Greekἐπῐ- (epĭ-)
  7. Proto-Indo-European*negʷʰrós
  8. Proto-Hellenic*nekʷʰrós
  9. Ancient Greekνεφρός (nephrós)
  10. Englishepinephrine

From Ancient Greek ἐπι- (epi-, “upon”) + νεφρός (nephrós, “kidney”) + -ine.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan epinefrina
  • epinefrinahormone and neurotransmitter
Chinese Mandarin 腎上腺素 /肾上腺素
  • 腎上腺素 /肾上腺素 (shènshàngxiànsù)hormone and neurotransmitter
Esperanto adrenalino
  • adrenalinohormone and neurotransmitter
Finnish epinefriini
  • epinefriinihormone and neurotransmitter
French épinéphrine
  • épinéphrinehormone and neurotransmitter
German Epinephrin
  • Epinephrinhormone and neurotransmitter
Greek επινεφρίνη
  • επινεφρίνη (epinefríni)hormone and neurotransmitter
Hungarian epinefrin
  • epinefrinhormone and neurotransmitter
Indonesian epinefrin
  • epinefrinhormone and neurotransmitter
Italian epinefrina
  • epinefrinahormone and neurotransmitter
Japanese エピネフリン
  • エピネフリン (epinefurin)hormone and neurotransmitter
Korean 에피네프린
  • 에피네프린 (epinepeurin)hormone and neurotransmitter
Polish epinefryna
  • epinefrynahormone and neurotransmitter
Portuguese epinefrina
  • epinefrinahormone and neurotransmitter
Russian эпинефри́н, адренали́н
  • эпинефри́н (epinefrín)hormone and neurotransmitter
  • адренали́н (adrenalín)hormone and neurotransmitter
Spanish epinefrina
  • epinefrinahormone and neurotransmitter
Swedish adrenalin
  • adrenalinhormone and neurotransmitter
Turkish adrenalin, epinefrin
  • adrenalinhormone and neurotransmitter
  • epinefrinhormone and neurotransmitter
Ukrainian епінефри́н
  • епінефри́н (epinefrýn)hormone and neurotransmitter
Cite this entry
APA

epinephrine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epinephrine

MLA

“epinephrine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epinephrine. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “epinephrine,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epinephrine.

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