Relating to or produced by the endocrine system, which includes glands that release hormones directly into the bloodstream.
From Greek 'endo-' (within) + 'krinein' (to separate or secrete), formed in the late 19th century to describe internal secretion glands.
The term 'endocrine' was coined to distinguish these glands from 'exocrine' glands like sweat glands that release substances through ducts—a revolutionary distinction that transformed how scientists understood the body's chemical communication systems.
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