Definition of Androgenic

Androgenic: Pertaining to the development of male characteristics, including body hair, the genital organs and muscle mass. "Androgenic" is the adjective form of the noun "androgen," a word referring to any of the male hormones, including testosterone and androsterone.

Androgenic development -- that is, the development of male characteristics -- begins in puberty, the time when a person becomes physically capable of producing offspring. In males, this time most commonly occurs between ages 12 and 14. A deepening voice is one of the signs of androgenic activity.

Androgen is produced in males by the testes, the two globe-shaped reproductive organs below the penis, and by the adrenal glands, two small hormone-producing organs that each sit atop a kidney. Androgen is also produced in females in the adrenal glands. Overproduction of androgen can generate some male characteristics in women and exaggerate male characteristics in men.

"Androgenic" is derived from the Greek words "andros" (man) and "genein" (to produce)." Related words include "androgynous" (having both male and female characteristics), "andrology" (the study of health in males), "androphobia" (fear of men) and "android" (in science fiction, a manlike robot).