[hor.mone] n [Gk hormon, prp. of horman to stir up, fr. horme impulse, assault; akin to Gk ornynai to rouse--more at rise] (1905) 1: a product of living cells that circulates in body fluids or sap and produces a specific effect on the activity of cells remote from its point of origin; esp: one exerting a stimulatory effect on a cellular activity
2: a synthetic substance that acts like a hormone -- hor.mone.like adj