Some animals and insects produce chemicals called pheromones which affect the behaviour of other animals and insects of the same type, for example by attracting them sexually.
[technical]
pheromone in British English
(ˈfɛrəˌməʊn)
noun
a chemical substance, secreted externally by certain animals, such as insects, affecting the behaviour or physiology of other animals of the same species
Word origin
C20: phero-, from Greek pherein to bear + (hor)mone
pheromone in American English
(ˈfɛrəˌmoʊn)
noun
any of various chemical substances, secreted externally by certain animals, thatconvey information to, and produce specific responses in, other individuals of the same species
Derived forms
pheromonal (ˌpheroˈmonal) (ˈfɛrəˈmoʊnəl)
adjective
Word origin
< Gr pherein, to carry, bear1 + -o- + hormone
Examples of 'pheromone' in a sentence
pheromone
That musky smell pervading the space around him: that was raw androsterone, the human sex pheromone.
Stewart, Michael COMPULSION (2003)
The man in black looked like he was either approaching or leaving behind fifty, but he exuded health like a pheromone.