Estradiol
/ˌɛstrəˈdaɪ.ɒl/noun
A primary form of estrogen and a major female sex hormone.
Did you know?The name was coined in modern scientific Latin from estrus + di- + -ol, so it carries the biological idea of reproductive heat rather than any ancient occult meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Greek
Gk
oistros
“gadfly; frenzy; sexual heat”
Latin
Lat
oestrus
“frenzy; rut; heat in animals”
Late 19th Century
English
estrus
“the period of recurring reproductive sexual receptivity in female mammals”
Early 20th Century
English
estrogen
“a hormone producing estrus-like effects”
1930s
English
estradiol
“the principal estrogen steroid hormone, chemically distinguished by two hydroxyl groups and an -ol ending”