Phytoestrogen
/ˌfaɪtoʊˈɛstrədʒən/noun
A plant-derived compound that can produce estrogen-like effects in the body.
Did you know?The first element, phyto-, comes from Greek phyton meaning “plant,” while estrogen was coined in modern scientific Latin from Greek oistros (“gadfly; frenzy”) + -gen (“producing”), so the word carries a hidden sense of “plant that produces estrus-like force.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phyton
“plant”
Ancient Greek
Greek
oistros
“gadfly; maddening impulse or frenzy”
Greek
Greek
-genes
“born of; producing”
19th Century
German
Östrogen
“a hormone associated with estrus”
20th Century
English
phytoestrogen
“a plant compound with estrogen-like activity”
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