glucagon

IPA/ˈɡluː.kə.ɡɒn/
IPA/ˈɡluː.kə.ɡɑːn/

glucagon — noun

1. a hormone made by the pancreas that pushes blood sugar up — used as an emergency

1.nounC2
Definition

a hormone made by the pancreas that pushes blood sugar up — used as an emergency medicine when a person with diabetes has dangerously low blood sugar.

Example

Asher's mother gave him a glucagon injection when his blood sugar dropped during the night.

glucagon injection — emergency treatment for low blood sugar

The nurse trained the family to use the glucagon kit if Hui ever became unconscious.

glucagon kit — typical collocation in diabetes care

Common collocations
  • glucagon injection
  • glucagon kit
  • dose of glucagon
  • shot of glucagon
  • emergency glucagon
Antonyms
  • insulin

    the opposing pancreatic hormone — insulin lowers blood sugar, glucagon raises it.

Usage Note

Uncountable in clinical use; pair with measure phrases like 'a dose of glucagon', 'a glucagon injection', or 'a glucagon kit' rather than 'a glucagon'. Subject is usually either the hormone itself (acting on the liver) or a person/doctor administering it.

Common Mistakes

The doctor gave him a glucagon.
The doctor gave him a dose of glucagon.
glucagon is uncountable; use a measure word.
Glucagon lowers blood sugar.
Insulin lowers blood sugar; glucagon raises it.
do not confuse glucagon with insulin; their actions are opposite.

Word family

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • glucagon injection
  • glucagon kit
  • emergency glucagon
  • dose of glucagon

Prepositions

  • dose of
  • shot of
  • injection of

Etymology

GreekModern scientific LatinEnglish

Coined in 1923 by the American scientists Kimball and Murlin, who discovered a sugar-raising substance in pancreatic extracts. Built from Greek 'gluk-' (sweet, the same root as 'glucose') plus the suffix '-agon', meaning 'leader' or 'one that drives' — literally 'the one that drives sugar (out)'. The name reflects the hormone's action of pushing stored sugar from the liver into the blood.