Definition Of Pheromone

The definition of pheromone, and other facts.

The definition of pheromone according to Merriam-Webster is this: (noun) a chemical substance that is produced by an animal and serves especially as a stimulus to other individuals of the same species for one or more behavioral responses. Simply put, the definition of pheromone is a chemical that alerts you to your surroundings.

Pheromone comes from the Greek word "pherein", which means to carry and "-mone", which is short for hormone. So if you look at the definition of pheromone from an etymological perspective, it means a hormone that carries. What does it carry? According to the Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, pheromones carry everything from alarm signals to sex signals. This is why there has been evidence of a connection between sexual attraction and pheromones.

However, the definition of pheromone encompasses more than just a potential love potion. For animals, insects especially, it serves as the means of finding food and alerting them about danger. This is why insect pheromones of pest species, such as the Japanese beetle and the gypsy moth, can be used to trap them or to create confusion so that the pests do not lay eggs on crops.