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Definition of "vasopressin" []

  • A hormone secreted by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland that constricts blood vessels, raises blood pressure, and reduces excretion of urine. Also called antidiuretic hormone. (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.

Use "vasopressin" in a sentence
  • "By targeting receptors of a hormone called vasopressin, it is hoped that the investigational drug will prove effective in controlling the abnormal contractions that cause painful periods."
  • "Even after steroids were discontinued, their anterior hypothalamus, known to regulate aggression, continued to pump out more of a neurotransmitter called vasopressin, which induces aggression."
  • "This same gene has also been linked in a different study to dictatorial behavior, and the hormone, called vasopressin, made by this gene has been found to be plentiful in voles that mate for life."