androstenedione

noun

an·​dro·​stene·​di·​one ˌan-drə-ˌstēn-ˈdī-ōn How to pronounce androstenedione (audio) -ˈstēn-dē-ˌōn How to pronounce androstenedione (audio)
: a steroid sex hormone C19H26O2 that is secreted by the testes, ovaries, and adrenal cortex and is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of testosterone and estrogen

Examples of androstenedione in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Those given the drug had significantly lower levels of the hormone androstenedione after four weeks, which was the study’s main endpoint. — Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 5 Oct. 2023 In most women my age, the concentration of androstenedione, a precursor to testosterone, is between thirty and two hundred and eighty-five nanograms per decilitre. — S. C. Cornell, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Androstendion, from Androsteron androsterone + -en -ene + -dion -dione ("a chemical compound containing two carbonyl groups," from di- + -one)

Note: The name was introduced by the Croatian-Swiss chemist Leopold Ružička (1887-1976) and the Swiss chemist Albert Wettstein (1907-74) in "Sexualhormone V. Künstliche Herstellung des männlichen Sexualhormons trans-Dehydro-androsteron und des Androsten-3,17-dions," Helvetica Chimica Acta, vol. 18, no. 1 (1935), pp. 986-94.

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of androstenedione was in 1935

Rhymes for androstenedione

See All Rhymes for androstenedione

Browse Nearby Words

androspore
androstenedione
androsterone
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Androstenedione.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/androstenedione. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

androstenedione

noun
an·​dro·​stene·​di·​one ˌan-drə-ˌstēn-ˈdī-ˌōn How to pronounce androstenedione (audio) -ˈstēn-dē-ˌōn How to pronounce androstenedione (audio)
: a steroid sex hormone C19H26O2 that is secreted by the testes, ovaries, and adrenal cortex and is a precursor of testosterone and estrogen

More from Merriam-Webster on androstenedione

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about androstenedione

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All