Androgenetic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Referring to a type of hair loss that is influenced by testosterone and genetic predisposition, typically affecting both men and women
2. Pertaining to conditions or traits that are derived from androgens and hereditary factors, often seen in patterns of balding
3. Describing a genetic tendency towards hair thinning or loss due to hormonal influences, commonly associated with male and female patterns of alopecia

Etymology: Androgenetic is a plain compound: "andro-", from the Greek "anēr" (genitive "andros"), meaning "man" or "male", joined to "genetic", from the Greek "genetikos", "relating to origin or birth". Put together, the pair describes something tied to male hormones and to inherited factors at once. The word is most often met in medicine, where it describes male-pattern hair loss, the receding hairline and thinning crown that follow from a genetic sensitivity to androgens such as testosterone. The adjective sits comfortably beside the more familiar "androgen", the umbrella term for male sex hormones, which the "andro-" element supplies.