hormone-blocking
|hor-mone-block-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˈhɔrmoʊn-ˈblɑkɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˈhɔːməʊn-ˈblɒkɪŋ/
prevent hormones
Etymology
'hormone-blocking' originates from modern English, combining the noun 'hormone' and the present participle 'blocking'. 'hormone' derives from New Latin 'hormon', from Greek 'hormā́ō' meaning 'to set in motion' or 'to urge on'. 'blocking' comes from the verb 'block', which traces back to Middle English 'blok' and Old French 'bloc' meaning 'log' or 'block.'
'hormone' was coined in the early 20th century (around 1905) from Greek and New Latin sources and entered medical usage to mean a chemical messenger; 'block' evolved from Old French 'bloc' into Middle English 'blok' and modern English 'block'. The compound 'hormone-blocking' arose in modern medical English by combining these elements to describe therapies or agents that inhibit hormones.
Initially, 'block' primarily described a physical obstruction and 'hormone' described a chemical messenger; over time the compound came to mean figurative inhibition—i.e., preventing hormonal action or production—especially in clinical and pharmacological contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
preventing, inhibiting, or reducing the action or production of hormones (used especially in medical contexts, e.g., treatments that stop or limit hormonal effects).
The doctor recommended a hormone-blocking therapy to slow the progression of the tumor.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/17 05:09