Roids

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Informal term for synthetic substances that promote muscle growth and enhance athletic performance ; slang for a slang term referring to swollen veins often seen in bodybuilders ; colloquial reference to enlarged or abnormal growths, particularly relating to health issues
2. Slang expression denoting anabolic agents used to increase muscle mass ; informal use describing prominently bulging veins caused by intense physical activity ; casual term for abnormal tissue enlargements or lumps in the body
3. Popular jargon for man-made hormones aimed at improving muscle development ; vernacular phrase indicating visibly engorged veins from exertion ; non-technical label applied to unusual bodily swellings or lumps

Etymology: "Roids" is the plural of "roid," a clipped form of "steroid." The word "steroid" was built from "sterol," the name for a class of fat-soluble alcohols found in animal tissue, with the suffix "-oid" meaning "resembling." The shortened form "roid" came into informal use for the anabolic compounds that were the most talked-about steroids, and the plural "roids" is what people say when they mean those drugs in general. The clipping tells a small story about how slang works. Speakers kept the stressed core of a long scientific word and dropped the rest, a pattern that also gave us forms like "gym" from "gymnasium." Because the cut-down version sounds casual, it has come to carry a whiff of the locker room and the illicit supply, even though the underlying chemistry of "steroid" is neutral.

Synonyms: steroids, anabolics, performance enhancers, growth hormones