: an endorphin of the pituitary gland having a much greater analgesic potency than morphine
Word History
First Known Use
1976, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
beta-endorphin
noun
be·ta-en·dor·phin
variants or β-endorphin
ˌbāt-ə-en-ˈdȯr-fən, chiefly British ˌbē-tə-
: an endorphin of the pituitary gland with much greater analgesic potency than morphine that occurs free and as the terminal sequence of 31 amino acids in the polypeptide chain of beta-lipotropin