Spanish word

insulina

Pronunciation

IPA/insuˈlina/

Meaning

  • feminine nouninsulin

Example

Mi abuelo necesita insulina después de comer.

My grandfather needs insulin after he eats.

Illustration for insulina (insulin)

More examples

¿Tienes que ponerte insulina antes de salir?

Do you have to inject yourself with insulin before going out?

Core concept

Pancreatic peptide hormone that helps remove glucose from the blood.

Common phrases

  • ponerse insulina

    inject yourself with insulin

  • inyectar insulina

    inject insulin

Similar words

medicamento: Drug taken or given to cure disease or reduce symptoms.
hormona: Body chemical that acts as a messenger to regulate functions.
inyección: Act of injecting a liquid or drug into the body with a needle.
dosis: One measured dose of a medicine or injection.

Definition in Spanish

Proteína con función hormonal producida por las células del páncreas que ayuda a reducir la glucosa en sangre y se utiliza terapéuticamente en la diabetes.

Word origin

Its modern name comes from Latin insula 'island' because it was identified in the islets of Langerhans, and the ending -ina marks it as a substance name.

Usage tips

  • Insulina is often treated as an uncountable substance (necesita insulina), while doses are expressed with unidad or inyección (una unidad de insulina, una inyección de insulina).

Related words

  • insulino-dependienteinsulin-dependentadjective

Word lists with this word