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Glite Dictionary
adrenocortical

adrenocortical

1 7.9
Relating to the outer part of the adrenal gland that makes hormones
  • adjective
  • /əˌdrɛnəˈkɔrtɪkəl/
  • Specialized
: adrenocortical
  • Vasopressin has long been suspected to play a role in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system (McCann, 1957; Miller and Yueh-Chien, 1974).
  • adrenocortical carcinoma

Examples

  • While the deficiencies seen in the DI rat in coping with stress are potentially caused by the absence of the effect of VP on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system, it is possible that other secondary factors, such as the quality of maternal care, may also be of consequence.

    Academic text (1990)

  • When the body is under prolonged stress, it produces adrenocortical hormones to help cope with the situation.

  • Doctors study adrenocortical functions to better understand stress responses in humans.

  • The adrenocortical glands are essential for regulating hormones related to stress and metabolism.

Synonyms

adrenal
vsadrenocortical
  • Specialized
15 5.5

About the glands above the kidneys that make hormones for dealing with stress

refers specifically to the cortex part of those glands

Surface Forms

adrenocortical positive

Morphology

adrenocortical = cortical (semi-transparent) = adreno + cortex

The term combines the combining form 'adreno-' (relating to the adrenal gland) with the adjective 'cortical' (relating to the cortex); the composition is clear but the combining form and the technical nature make it partially specialist.

Etymology

Adrenocortical comes from adreno-, as in adrenaline, and -cortical, from cortex which means 'outer layer'. So, adrenocortical means 'relating to the outer layer of the adrenal gland'.