Coined in 1905 from Greek horman (to set in motion) to describe chemical messengers that urge distant organs into action
A chemical substance produced by glands in the body that regulates the activity of cells or organs
Coined by English physiologist Ernest Starling from Greek 'hormon', present participle of 'horman' meaning to set in motion, to urge on, to excite. Starling introduced the term in a 1905 lecture at the Royal College of Physicians in London to describe chemical messengers carried in the blood that stimulate distant organs into action. The Greek verb horman derives from 'horme' meaning impulse, onset, or assault. Key roots: horman (Greek: "to set in motion, to impel, to excite").
Starling chose the word hormone with help from a Cambridge classicist, William Hardy, who suggested the Greek verb horman. Starling wanted a word that conveyed the idea of a chemical messenger arousing a distant organ into action. The same Greek root appears in pheromone, coined later from pherein (to carry) + horman (to excite).