Pheromone

noun

noun ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A chemical secreted by an animal, especially an insect, that affects the development or behavior of other members of the same species, functioning often as a means of attracting a member of the opposite sex.
  2. 2
    a chemical substance secreted externally by some animals (especially insects) that influences the physiology or behavior of other animals of the same species wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
infochemical

Example

More examples

"A Harvard University researcher recently conducted a study that added a pheromone found in younger women to the perfume of older women and found it enhanced their love lives."

Etymology

From φέρω (phérō, “I bring, bear, carry”) and hormone.

Related phrases

Nasonov pheromonemandibular pheromonequeen mandibular pheromonequeen retinue pheromone

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.