apocrine

adjective

apo·​crine ˈa-pə-krən How to pronounce apocrine (audio) -ˌkrīn How to pronounce apocrine (audio) -ˌkrēn How to pronounce apocrine (audio)
: producing a fluid secretion by pinching off one end of the secretory cell while leaving the rest intact
also : produced by an apocrine gland

Examples of apocrine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Nguyen explained that body odor is primarily associated with apocrine sweat glands, found in the armpit and groin areas. — Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 21 June 2024 In fact, there are actually two different kinds of sweat glands in the body – eccrine sweat glands and apocrine sweat glands. — Alexis Benveniste, Allure, 26 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German apokrin, from apo- apo- + -krin, as in merokrin merocrine

Note: The term was introduced, along with ekkrin eccrine by the German biologist P. Schiefferdecker in "Die Hautdrüsen des Menschen und der Säugetiere, ihre biologische und rassenanatomische Bedeutung sowie die Muscularis sexualis," Biologisches Zentralblatt, Band 37 (1917), p. 534.

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of apocrine was in 1926

Phrases Containing apocrine

Rhymes for apocrine

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apocrine
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Cite this Entry

“Apocrine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocrine. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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Medical Definition

apocrine

adjective
apo·​crine ˈap-ə-krən How to pronounce apocrine (audio) -ˌkrīn How to pronounce apocrine (audio) -ˌkrēn How to pronounce apocrine (audio)
: producing a fluid secretion by pinching off one end of the secreting cells which then reform and repeat the process
apocrine glands
also : produced by an apocrine gland compare eccrine, holocrine, merocrine
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