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thyroid-stimulating hormone

thyroid-stimulating hormone

5.1
A chemical made by a gland at the base of the brain that tells the thyroid to make hormones
  • noun
  • /ˈθaɪrɔɪd ˈstɪmjʊˌleɪtɪŋ ˈhɔrmoʊn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hormona estimulante de la tiroides
  • Doctors often check thyroid-stimulating hormone levels to assess how well the thyroid gland is functioning.
  • thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)

Examples

  • RYGB = Roux-en-Y gastric bypass; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone.

    Academic text (2016)
  • In its turn, the thyroid gland is controlled by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) secreted by the pituitary gland.

    Academic text (2014)
  • A blood test can measure your levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone to check for thyroid disorders.

  • In patients with hypothyroidism, the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone are usually elevated.

Synonyms

TSH
vsthyroid-stimulating hormone
  • Specialized
3 7.1

An important hormone from a gland in the brain that makes the thyroid work

focuses specifically on causing the gland to make its own hormones
thyrotropin
vsthyroid-stimulating hormone
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A hormone from a small gland under the brain that tells the gland in the neck to make hormones

uses slightly longer phrasing mentioning the gland's own hormones
thyrotropic hormone
vsthyroid-stimulating hormone
  • Specialized
7.5

A hormone from a small gland at the base of the brain that makes the thyroid gland work

specifies that stimulation leads the gland to produce its own hormones
thyrotrophic hormone
vsthyroid-stimulating hormone
  • Specialized
8.6

A hormone from the small gland at the base of the brain that tells the thyroid to work

defines stimulation more narrowly as prompting hormone production by the gland

Surface Forms

Morphology

thyroid-stimulating + hormone

The phrase literally names a hormone that stimulates the thyroid: it combines 'thyroid' (the gland), 'stimulating' (causing activation), and 'hormone' (a chemical messenger), so the overall meaning is directly compositional. Although technical, the adjective–noun structure is regular and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Thyroid-stimulating hormone is a name for a small chemical messenger from a gland at the base of the brain that tells the thyroid to make more hormones. The word stimulating shows its job: it 'wakes up' or pushes the thyroid into action, and hormone means a body messenger, so the phrase literally describes what it does.