insulin

The word “insulin” means a hormone that controls how the body uses and stores sugar from food. In plain terms, the hormone that manages blood sugar, or the medication version of it used by diabetics.

“Insulin” is pronounced IHNS-yuu-leen (/ˈɪnsəlɪn/ in IPA).

Here is “insulin” used in a sentence: “The pancreas produces insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.”

“Insulin” is a noun.

The word “insulin” comes from Latin. From Latin insula ("island") + -in, named after the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, where the hormone is produced.

“Insulin” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Insulin” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a hormone that controls how the body uses and stores sugar from food.

Insulin is a hormone that controls how the body uses and stores sugar from food, while glucose is the sugar itself that circulates in the blood and serves as the body's main energy source. Insulin's job is to regulate glucose levels, not to serve as an energy source itself.

People with diabetes either don't produce enough natural insulin or can't use it effectively, so manufactured insulin is used as a medical treatment to help control blood sugar levels. This treatment version of insulin is typically injected.

Insulin refers to both the naturally occurring hormone produced by the body and a manufactured version used as a diabetes medication. The manufactured form is designed to replicate the function of the natural hormone.