Definition of "relaxin" [relaxin]

• A female hormone secreted by the corpus luteum that helps soften the cervix and relax the pelvic ligaments in childbirth. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The problem is a hormone called relaxin, which has caused my ligaments to loosen up so effectively that my skeleton now barely hangs together."
• "In addition, there is a hormone called relaxin that "relaxes" all your joints to enable these structural changes to occur."
• "Women's feet can also change during pregnancy because of the hormone called relaxin which is released in your body during pregnancy."